Skylit Ocean Fireflies
by Ezaria
Summary: She was just a stargazer girl in an old lighthouse. Yet he spoke to her. The fearless loyal pirate reached out to a nobody like her. She was never one to care for appearances but she liked how he never wore a shirt, wearing the mark of the pirate crew of her dreams on his broad and strong back. "I want to be nakama with you, Ace." Ace x OC Enjoy!
1. Prologue

Author's Note: This is inspired and based off from the 35th to 37th Negima manga chapters. I have to give that credit. Note that there's no need to read them to understand this chapter (and future chapters) if you've never read them. It's just where I drew inspiration from. This is also from my secret desire to have a pillow fight. Sad to say I've never had one in real life, but fanfiction can fulfill dreams, can't they?

Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece; I only own my OC, Aurie.

* * *

In the dead of night, all aboard the dozens of ships sailing the Grand Line were sound asleep, whether from drinking overloads of rum or exhaustion. All except the crew members scurrying around the Moby Dick. No, it wasn't due to an emergency, much less a surprise attack from the marines.

Aurie found herself in the stuffy cluttered storage room, knuckles white from gripping a pillow in each hand, her back against the wooden walls. Next to her, also in a crouched position, was her division commander, hands holding a pillow each as well. A young man with an orange cowboy hat with his own customized decoration of a smiley and frown held together with red beads was having a smug look on his face. His body was twisted slightly to face the single door at the end of the cramped storeroom, the large Whitebeard tattoo on his back grinning back at her.

_And this is what I joined the Whitebeard Pirates for?_ Now Ace was beckoning her to the door with the pillow in his right hand. Aurie slid her feet across the floor, shuffling over to him as quickly as she could. Before she managed to reach his new position in the corner near the hinges, the heavy door swung wide open. A warm hand tugged hers and she was pulled behind the narrowing gap between door and wall. A couple of voices spoke in whispers from across the thick wood; she could roughly make one of them out to be Marco. Three shadows were cast on the empty space in the middle of the storeroom by the half-moon in the cloudless night sky. All three held pillows and bolsters in their hands.

Aurie found herself staring into dark brown eyes framed by wavy raven hair, a warm sensation on her cheeks._ Oh great, I just had to blush._ Ace took no notice of the pinkness spreading across her face though, or perhaps he pretended not to, choosing to look above her long shimmering sky blue hair darkened by the dim glow from the moonlight.

Soon the voices died down and the door was shut after them, but the two pirates still stood in close proximity to each other in the corner of the storage room. The awkwardness stretched on, until the grin under the brim of the orange hat grew wider. _Oh no, Ace is getting a crazy idea that I don't want to be a part of again._ He took her hand in his. Aside from the pillow cases, his warm hand surrounded her smaller cold one. The warmth was comforting. Next thing she knew, she found herself being pulled by his gentle yet firm grip as they raced around the gigantic ship, avoiding and dodging crew members and commanders in the ship wide pillow fight for the one thing Ace would never let them have, and the one thing Aurie was giving her all to protect till the game ends. Neither did the other know that their goals were intertwined.

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Author's Note: I'd love to hear feedback on this. Please drop a review. I'd be so grateful. If there's anything or anyone you're like to see in further chapters, feel free to suggest too.


	2. Chapter 1

Author's Note: The end of this chapter was somewhat inspired by Hatsune Miku's song, Stargazer.

Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece, only Aurie, my OC.

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"Would you rather stay here safe and sound your entire life getting nowhere, or living out your dreams doing what you love? It's worth the risk, don't you think?" A smirk grew on the freckled face shaded by the orange cowboy hat on his messy black hair.

All it took was a nod from the petite sky blue haired girl to set them going.

Ace took her bony hand in his, their footsteps raced across the sunburnt pavement leading down to the harbour where the Moby Dick was anchored. Beyond lay the horizon surrounded by nothing but endless ocean. In contrast, pirates were fighting off marines on either sides of the road, swords clashing, gunshots firing away. The pathway was cleared for the shirtless pirate and the runaway yet-to-be-known girl. It was pure exhilaration; Aurie felt the wind in her hair, and the warm sunlight on her pale skin as she ran for dear life, a smile spreading across her lips. Ace sneaked a grin back at her as they ran off into the distance hand in hand.

She wasn't going to look back. Her old ordinary life was over, here's to the start of one filled with adventure, being wild and free and living out her lifelong dream.

* * *

The sky was streaked with gold and purple converging at the setting sun on the horizon. Across the sky was already a shade of midnight blue mixing with the trails of purple. Land was nowhere in sight for dozens of miles. In this vast stretch of ocean, a lone pirate ship travelled. The waves rocked the sides of the Moby Dick gently, sending a wave of calm to the teenage girl standing barefoot at the back of the ship, leaning slightly over the rails. Aurie wanted to feel the salt water, the droplets rain on her bare skin. Nobody minded her; the crew was busy preparing for their night shifts and tonight happened to be one of the crew's party nights. She received a few curious glances from passing crewmates, but no one stared long enough to make her feel uncomfortable. They weren't suspicious, knowing that Ace was the one that brought her along.

"What are you doing back here?" A familiar voice spoke up from behind her.

Aurie turned around on her toes, the moonlight reflecting off her light blue hair and pale skin as the wind blew a gentle breeze through. Her pale white dress fluttered in the wind, giving her a ghostly appearance.

Approaching from the starboard side of the ship was Ace. His walk was steady; he hadn't been drinking like most of the others before the party even began.

"Watching the sunset," Aurie replied, "It's breathtaking."

Growing up in the city island, she'd never been able to see the sunset without it being obstructed by high rise buildings and huge ships docked all around.

Ace grinned from under his hat, "You'd get to see many more sunsets out here in the open."

A wide smile showing teeth spread across her features, and then it slipped away, leaving a more careful guarded look; her usual look. "Am I really welcome here? Everyone seems to be so..."

"Pirate-y?" He smirked, "Well you ain't seeing nothing yet. I'll take you to Oyaji!"

"To Oya-?!" Without warning, she found herself pulled around by a warm grip on her left wrist, running along the port side, and tugged gently into the centre of the Moby Dick, just in front of the cabins and access way to the lower decks. Right smack in the centre on a wooden stool large enough to support his weight, a tall muscular man with an upturned crescent of a moustache sat, captain's jacket on his shoulders, the sleeves flapping in the wind. Several nurses were busy tending to his needs and trying to reach for the huge sake bowl in his hand.

Everyone paused what they were doing, all eyes were on them, watching the interaction with interest. Whitebeard's eyes widened slightly, and he glanced down at Ace, a slight smile hidden by the edge of his moustache. Shifting to face Aurie, he quickly scrutinized her before turning to his 2nd division commander again, "Who's this you brought to me this time, son?"

_Does this guy go around picking up strays like me a lot? Oh I'm getting distracted. _She felt her knees trembling under his gaze. _He's one of the Yonko! I'm on his ship! And why am I only panicking now? Ace speaks of him so fondly, he has to be nice. He definitely is nice._ The voice in her head didn't sound in the least bit convincing. Ace nudged her and flashed another grin, a confident and supportive one.

Aurie took a deep breath, letting the wind cool her nerves. Everything grew silent in her mind. All but Whitebeard and Ace, everyone else was just another insignificant figure.

"I'm Aurie Kairyn, Shirohige-san," she responded calmly, "From Summerfall Isle."

"Ace must've picked you up for a reason. Tell me, what do you seek? What are you here for?"

"I'm..." Her voice was caught in her throat. What am I to them? What can I contribute? She glanced up at the sky for inspiration but was blown away by the amazing spectacle she witnessed.

For the first time in her entire life, the night sky sparkled; it was as if glitter was poured all across the farthest reaches of the vastness of space. A couple of shooting stars rained down into the distance. She had only seen it in encyclopedias and secretly read about it in novels. This was what she was searching for the whole time. This was what she longed for back home. The images in encyclopedias and research books were nothing compared to this. Under the blanket of stars, she felt at home.

"I want to see the world beyond the walls of the city. I seek knowledge of the stars, this vast universe beyond the world we live in. I'm a stargazer, an astronomer."

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Author's Note: This story doesn't really flow linearly, bits of info about Aurie gets revealed when needed. I can't wait to write about how Ace met her next. Happy guessing. *laughs*

I'd love to hear feedback, please leave a review. If there's anything or anyone you're like to see in further chapters, feel free to suggest too. Arigato minna-san for reading.


	3. Chapter 2

Author's Note: Here's another update in under a week. I can probably only keep up this speed of churning out chapters until my holiday ends, which is on the 23rd of June, sadly enough. But fret not! I'll still be updating for sure.

Disclaimer: I still don't own One Piece, nothing has changed hasn't it? Aurie is mine.

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The soft buzz of chitter chatter from crew members sitting around the deck died down in a heartbeat. Now all eyes were on their Oyaji and Aurie. Ace put on his best pleading face, which honestly looked hilarious, especially the puppy eyes. The couple of men dragging the sake out of the pantry had paused mid-step. Aurie's declaration had garnered the attention of the entire crew; everyone was observing the conversation now.

Hushed whispers could be heard over the silence.

"What's the point of studying the stars?"

"Can she possibly contribute anything?"

"Don't look like she can hold her own in a fight."

"I bet 100 Beri that she's gonna be a princess that needs saving."

Whitebeard beamed at her, letting out a heartfelt laugh. The crowd grew quiet once again.

"Would you like to become one of my daughters, and sail the seas under my name?"

Aurie's eyes widened. _Did I hear him right? He really did like Ace said he would._ It felt so surreal to her, and she felt herself trembling with excitement_. I'm... I'm a pirate now! I get to fight for what I believe in, for what they took from me. My chances of retrieving what's rightfully mine have increased tremendously!_ Her eyes sparkled, teardrops of pure happiness glistening in the moonlight.

She was jolted out of her thoughts by a warm arm around her neck. Ace, being a head taller, grinned widely down at her with possibly the biggest smile she'd ever seen on his face. She felt her cheeks flush pink, and she smiled back. The smile on her lips with her bright round cerulean eyes gave her a child-like appearance. Ace ruffled her hair, causing her to giggle softly.

"Best decision ever, Oyaji!" Ace pumped his fist in the air.

Aurie lifted her head and smiled, the faint pinkness still lingering in her cheeks. "Thank you... Captain-Oyaji."

Whitebeard chuckled, taking a huge gulp of the remaining sake in his bowl. "Just Oyaji will do."

A young man with a pompadour hairstyle in a chef-like outfit skidded out onto the deck, catching the railing with one hand to stop his slide.

"Thatch!' Ace called out.

"Is that the newbie? Looks like as good a reason as any to party!"

"Heck yeah!" Someone shouted from the gathering crowd at the forecastle of the ship.

And thus, the party began.

Glasses clinked, rum was passed around and laughter resounded across the Moby Dick, keeping everyone up, not that anyone minded. The Whitebeard Pirates didn't need a good reason to get drunk; any night seemed to be as good as any for that.

A group of about ten were having a game of strip poker on the upper deck, and there were already people running around in only their boxers chasing after the thieves of their clothes. Someone had skidded across the sake coated floor into the open doorway leading to the cabins, narrowly missing the wall but still managing to take out a chunk of wood with him. Someone hollered for the shipwright but it came out as drunken gibberish.

Ace and Aurie were seated next to Marco and Thatch on a dry area of the deck, near the railing. The chaos unfolding around them wasn't a surprising sight to see, except for Aurie who was trying her best to contain her laughter but ended up giggling hysterically.

"So what do you think?" Marco asked, placing his mug on the floor next to the empty alcohol bottles.

"Mm?" Aurie turned, looking startled upon seeing Ace snoring against the side, and Thatch laughing and talking over him to some guys in his division like it was nothing new. She giggled softly, and returned her attention to Marco. She also placed her cup down. A light red shade on her cheeks, she smiled, "It looks like a lot of fun."

Whitebeard got up and stretched, the nurses repositioning the medical equipment around him.

"You're turning in for the night, Oyaji?" A crewmate with spiky orange hair called out from the crow's nest, chugging down the rest of his drink.

"So should everyone, son." Heading inside, he tossed a quick wave over his shoulder. "Goodnight."

As soon as the doors shut behind him, the entire ship grew quiet, only whispers could be heard over the gentle waves lapping against the pirate ship.

Thatch had ran off, taking the remaining sake with him, leaving Marco, a sleeping Ace, and Aurie sitting around with empty cups. Everyone was slowly heading in for the night, some grabbing their clothes or whatever part of their clothes they could find along the way. A few remained on night duty stationed around various parts of the ship.

A snort and yawn followed by stretching and Ace was wide awake again, looking around and pouting, having missed most of the party as usual. His gaze fall on the sky blue haired girl with wide unblinking eyes.

"Hm?" He replaced his signature hat back on his tousled hair.

"You woke up."

"Yep." Ace stood up and leaned against the wood, looking out into the ocean. "I have narcolepsy."

"Oh," was the only word she could reply, the rest was left unsaid. Thankfully the sake she drank was a good excuse for her slightly reddened cheeks. His freckled face looked so calm and collected as he stared off into the distance, almost like he was searching for something, thinking of someone. He had a dreamy look in his eyes, mature but childlike all at once.

"I wonder what Luffy is doing now back home."

"He's probably sleeping like you should be." Marco stood up and stretched...

...And a pillow went flying straight into his face, bounced off and fell into the waters beyond with a splash.

"My pillow! What the hec-?!" Haruta chased after Thatch, arms flailing. Marco simply started at them, eye twitching.

Izo leaned against the door frame, observing them unnoticed.

Thatch abruptly stopped, Haruta almost ramming into him headfirst.

Aurie glanced back and forth at them all trying not the giggle. Marco looked like he was going to lose his cool, but raised an eyebrow questioningly instead. Thatch had a mischievous glint in his eyes, causing Marco to take a deep sigh. Ace leaned in, interested. He had missed out on the fun from earlier, and he wasn't going to skip on this one.

"Half of us are waiting in our rooms, wide awake. Anticipating." Thatch whispered loud enough for all five of them to hear.

Haruta leaned in closer to catch his words. Ace waved Aurie into the group and she leaned in too, even though the deck was empty except for them.

Unfortunately Marco was caught with them, standing in the circle with an amused yet irritated look. "What are you planning, Thatch?"

Thatch was dragging out the silence, probably to annoy Marco even more.

"A ship wide pillow fight that comes with a reward," Marco looked at him disbelievingly.

He continued with a smirk, "The winner," Dramatic pause. "Gets to share a kiss with the newbie."

A stare from Aurie, eyes widening with each passing second, her face flushing red a tomato. Ace's eyes looked like they were going to budge out of their sockets. Apparently, he wasn't informed of this game.

"EHHHHHHH?!"

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Author's Note: I hope Marco and the others aren't out of character. Please tell me if they are, or aren't. Oh, and Ace doesn't know he likes Aurie yet, he's just treating her like a little sister, I guess. Aurie is the only one that keeps blushing after all. *laughs*

Is Haruta a girl or a guy? I'd like to think she's a girl, if that's alright with everyone.


	4. Chapter 3

Author's Note: This is dedicated to one of my otouto / nakama (not blood related but still younger brother, in my pirate crew / friendship club in real life). Thank you for being a fan of my writing.

And thank you to everyone else that has reviewed, followed and favourite! Honto ni arigato! *bows* Please continue to read and review. ^_^

Disclaimer: Is One Piece mine yet? No? Aww. Aurie is my OC.

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"EHHHHHHH?!"

Ace looked away, "What was that last part? You haven't asked Aurie-san's opinion on this, you know..."

"Are you afraid of competition? C'mon, it's been ages since we've sailed into a warm climate area. There's no harm in a little pillow fight. " Thatch avoided his question, putting an arm around his shoulder, "Which ever divisions that lose have to clean up the whole ship, and do the winner's paperwork for a week. How about that?"

Ace frowned. He certainly did not want to have to do that. That was probably one of the things he disliked as much as paperwork. And he'd very much like to dump his share of paperwork on others for a while, even if it's just for one week. But Aurie was dragged into this and he honestly didn't feel right about it.

A slight smile slipped onto Marco's face, disappearing as soon as it appeared, "For once this doesn't sound like a bad idea."

Aurie's gasped and stuttered, "B-b-but..."

"I reject this idea." Haruta interjected.

"The game will go on." Thatch placed his hands on his hips and declared confidently, and then a tad bit softer, with a sweat drop. "I don't want to clean the deck..."

"And the rest of the ship."

All eyes turned to the approaching shadow from the doorway. Make-up on his face, and hair done up neatly, Izo strutted out into the moonlight. "That's what you get for messing with my supply of hair conditioner. The bet is still on."

Marco almost facepalmed.

No paperwork for a week was too tempting for Ace, far too tempting. I mean, you can't possible imagine Ace sitting at a desk reading through stack of boring paper, can you? "I'm game for it."

Aurie felt her heart beating fast, almost like it who leapt out of her small chest. _What is he thinking?! There's no way I'm going to be any part of this. No way at all. No w_—

"Seriously now?" Haruta had a look of disbelief on her face, "You boys are disgusting."

Thatch grinned widely, "I knew you'd agree. And you lost the bet, Izo! Everyone agreed to it like I knew they would!" His grin was met by a scowling Izo from the doorway.

While everyone was distracted by Thatch and Izo, Ace sneaked over to Aurie, passing by her. In that moment, the wind picked up, ruffling through their hair, sending a chill down Aurie's spine. Ace raised a hand to push his hat back down, shading his eyes even more. Under that bright orange hat, a smirk showing teeth spread across his freckled face.

"Don't worry. I will be the one to steal a kiss from Aurie-san."

He tossed an informal two fingered salute-wave over his shoulder as he disappeared into the doorway across the deck from Izo, gone like the wind. Aurie's cheeks reddened for the hundredth time that day, as she spun around, her hair getting in her eyes in that blurring moment. Her arms fell to her sides, the cotton of her dress brushing against her fingers. So caught up in the moment, time almost slowed for her.

Marco, Thatch and Izo had ran off, Thatch faked almost tripping on a loose floor board as he scurried away. The deck seeming larger than it truly is when it wasn't crowded with crew members.

"What are you still waiting for? Everyone's busy rounding up the other players. Don't think it's a good idea to stay in plain sight any longer." Haruta called out with a wave, then hurrying off, pausing at the door frame, "Whatever you do, don't wake Oyaji. Just don't." And with that she was gone as well.

Aurie stood there on the deck, her barefoot feeling cold against the creaking wooden floor boards. _Okay, what on Earth should I do now? I didn't get to tour the ship; I only know where the kitchen and dining area are because of Ace-san's bottomless pit of a stomach. Perhaps I should try the crow's nest... Nah, that wouldn't work. If I'm found, there's only one rope ladder leading down from that thing. I'd be trapped. _She scratched the back of her head, and looked around frantically, from the doorways to the crow's nest to the back of the ship behind the cabins, storage room and Oyaji's bedroom. _Maybe I could try th— _

_A tingling sensation brought her out of her train of thoughts._

A couple of shadows swooped down onto the deck. On the left, a short, pump man with a bandana, long wavy hair flowing out from under, and a loose shirt on, two bolsters tied together with some cloth like nunchucks. To his side, his companion was a tall man in a business suit jacket with a thin sleeveless shirt on the inside, a cloth tied around his waist to hold his Bermuda shorts, and his hands lifted a giant pillow that looked like it was stolen from Oyaji's bedroom.

"Sorry pal, but Thatch-taicho's orders, y'see," The shorter man swung one end of the bolsters at her shoulder to knock her down, however, it was met with thin air. A flash of movement, with a cartwheel, Aurie was behind him, and side stepping a diagonal swing of the taller man's huge pillow.

They stared back at her in surprise. And she looked at them innocently, head tilted in slight confusion.

"Woah, did you see what the kid just did?"

"I ain't got a clue, but let's get her!"

They began their attacks again; the nunchuck-bolsters swinging in circles, easily deflected by Aurie's quick kicks. The gigantic pillow slid under her legs and she pushed her foot off the bolster, jumping further up into the air. Her hair spun around, falling in strands over her face as she pushed her feet off the wall, turning it into a summersault. Her slender fingers landed on the shorter man, pulling him backwards onto his crouching taller companion.

"Oof!" A crash was heard as soon as her feet touched the ground, landing one foot after the other, without making a sound.

"I'm sorry," she smiled sheepishly, turning around to help her nakama up but instead her outstretched hand was yanked down by the taller man.

"Was supposed to be saved for Thatch-taicho, but oh well." She felt herself falling into him, eyes wide with shock.

Only to be interrupted by a pillow kick flying straight into him. Haruta stood there, looking rather ridiculous with pillows tied to her night slippers.

"What are you still standing here for?" She asked, ruffling up her hair in mild frustration. "Go hide unless you want the game to end fast."

_Game to end fast? ...Oh! The kiss. Urgh. _

"But I sorta... Kinda took down those guys."

Haruta stared at her incredulously, but softened her gaze. "Then prove it." She said with a lopsided grin, holding the men off without even looking.

"I did."

"Didn't see it."

"But, I... Oh... Alright!" Aurie replied, fists clenched. "I will show you!" _I will definitely, so that Ace-san wouldn't have invited me to join for nothing! _

With renewed confidence, she ran off to the doorway leading to the cabins and rooms below deck. She didn't know where she was heading too, but she just knew what she wanted and had to do.

From above, a silhouette of a shirtless man with a cowboy hat stood looking down from the crow's nest. His lips curved into a grin, on hand on his hat to keep it on his matted hair in the sudden gust of wind.

"This game will produce more results than I thought."

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Author's Note: Thank you once again for reading. Now to the review box. *evil cackle* XD


	5. Chapter 4

Author's Note: Here's another update. Enjoy the chapter, minna~san. *grins widely* Updates will slow down from now on, but please keep reading and reviewing! I'm not giving up on my precious story.

Disclaimer: One Piece is not mine, never will be. But Aurie is mine.

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Ace snuck around the ship in the shadows, keeping close to the walls and behind corners. He knew the ship fairly well, the hidden passages and shortcuts even better. Thus, it didn't take much effort following Aurie around as she beat up their nakama with her bare hands and feet. In fact, he was completely taken by surprise when he had taken down the first two guys from Thatch's division. _So there were some things I still didn't know about you, huh?_ Ace smirked, readjusting his hat as he slid behind a pillar, straightening himself up to his full height as he pressed his back against the curved wood.

Sneaking a peek from behind the pillar, he watched in fascination as she tackled a burly man in a ripped up shirt. Aurie manoeuvred around him seemingly without much effort, almost like a dance, a gymnastic routine with several flips and cartwheels, taking him by surprise as she swiftly leaped off his shoulder, dodging the pillows in his fists. Now behind him, she took off with a dash for the stairwell at the end of the hallway.

Just like before, Ace came out of hiding, keeping to the walls before dashing at him, switching his foot and swinging by his crewmate, pushing off the wall.

"Ace—?!" He shouted over his shoulder.

"No time to explain!" He landed on his feet and continued on.

"Aren't we on the same team, taichou?"

"We are but we aren't."

And with that, the fire user was gone in a flash.

* * *

Aurie ran down the stairs, panting heavily. But she couldn't stop now, she had to find a safe hiding place, and she had yet to find one without being discovered within five or so minutes. Well, that wasn't surprising, seeing how these people lived here for months or years and knew their home like the back of their hand.

Another thing that worried her was that she had been constantly sensing someone following her but she simply couldn't figure out who. The crewmates she had slipped pass or tricked weren't after her either, which brought her to the conclusion that her stalker was aiding her somehow. Aurie could only think of Haruta, being both girls, she was most likely the one to help her, especially since she had initially rejected this pillow fight idea.

She skidding to a stop and made a left turn, almost crashing into the wall in the process. Fear and whatever adrenaline she had left pushed her on, and looking up from the floorboards and focusing, she realized that she had ran into a familiar area. The long stretch of hallway had a row of doors on the right and one huge room with double doors on the left, the dining area. Listening closely and over her quick draws of breath, she couldn't make out a sound from the mess hall. It was eerily silent; all she could hear were the echoes of her own footsteps. _Well it is the wee hours of the morning, everyone should be too drunk to do anything but sleep. _Feeling reassured, she pushed one of the sliding doors ajar, snaked her petite body through and shut the door behind her. The darkening returned as the slit of light disappeared.

Feet shuffled against the floor, and she froze as the lights were switched on. Aurie winced at the sudden illumination and the next thing she knew, a pillow smacked right down onto her. She landed on her bump and tried to get back up, eyes blinking rapidly, quickly adjusting to the light.

Feathers and dust filled the air; pirates were smacking one another with pillows and bolsters. The benches were toppled over and some shoved aside, pillows flew over tables, nearly missing the dangling light bulbs. Cries of victory pierced the silence and fallen nakama scurried around to grab a hold of unused pillow before it could be snatched out of their grasped. Apparently there was infighting amongst whichever division it was as members struggled to reach Aurie without using anything but pillows.

In the far corner of the room, a man with a black moustache sat with one leg hanging off the table, he glanced at her with a disinterested yet amused face, a stark contrast to the chaos going on in the cramped dining area. She vaguely remembered him to be Vista from her conversation with Marco earlier on, and was partly relieved to see he wanted no part in this. However, his division members are another story.

Somewhat having gotten used to the situation, Aurie managed to duck several pillows hurled her way, scurrying over to grab two of about the same size and weight. _Got a weapon now, thank goodness..._ Standing her ground, she used her newly found shields to bat aside several more pillows and bolsters, all the while moving closer to the door again.

Before her hands could find the dent in the door to push it open, an odd group of five where fast approaching her, pillows raised like swords. A young boy in his early teens, two scruffy looking man, one with an incredibly long and well kept beard accompanied by a tall lady with a cigar hanging off of her orange lipstick coated lips.

"Don't let her get away!"

"Heck yeah, don't wanna be scrubbing the deck in the mornin'!"

"Get her!"

All at once, the five of them pounced onto her.

* * *

Ace darted from wall to wall, pillar to pillar, running down the flight of stairs. He stopped momentarily, feet stepping onto the 1st floor below deck, eyes shifting from the row of rooms on the right to the mess hall. _Did she seriously run into the dining room? Vista's group is camping there, I'm certain of it—_

A loud thud resonated from the thin bamboo and wooden walls of the dining area. Ace paused mid-step and leaned into the walls, trying to make out the conversations, only to shift his head away from several more loud thuds and what sounded like benches being knocked over. _C'mon, scream already! You're a girl, aren't ya? How am I supposed to know when to crash the place like a hero..._

The door bent outwards slightly from the loudest crash he had heard so far from the room, signalling his cue to enter. Ace sauntered over to stand directly in front of the double sliding doors. Without warning, he lifted and stuck his foot out, putting all his weight behind it and into the wood, the force of the kick tearing the doors of the hinges and sending them flying into the wall beyond. As fast as his kick, he returned his leg to his side, standing in the doorway casually. The two doors were slammed into either sides of the wall behind Vista, who only raised an eyebrow at Ace in response. Everyone in the room jaw dropped at his arrival, frozen like statues. Ace ignored them completely, strolling over to Aurie.

She felt a warm hand grip her wrist gently but firmly, gentle tugging brought her to her feet unsteadily. He looked her over for injuries; there shouldn't be any, and sure enough, there were none. Aurie's hair looked slightly unkempt now, sticking out at some angles and there was a light sheen of sweat on her forehead. She quickly nodded at him while catching her breath to convince his she was okay, and he smiled, still not letting go.

Ace shifted his grip on her wrist to holding her hand, a wide grin on his face, eager for some excitement.

"Shall we go?"

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Author's Note: Yay, Ace and Aurie are together again! There will be about 3 to 5 more chapters of this Pillow Fight arc before I move on to another part of the story. Thank you for reading. Please review! :D


	6. Chapter 5

Author's note: I'm back readers! And my air-conditioner is fixed. I just had to share my joy with y'all. And now back to the story...

Disclaimer: One Piece isn't mine. Aurie was born from my imagination.

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Stooping down to grab a couple of pillows under one arm, Ace flashed her a wide grin, his freckles giving him a childish look to his genuinely cheerful face. His hand tightened around hers slightly, sending a rush of warm down her spine. A small tug on her arm and they were off, leaving all of Vista's men scrambling for the doorway.

Hands held, they ran. Her hair billowed around her, dancing over her pale shoulders. Ace jogged ahead a couple of steps, gently pulling her along, slowing down as they turned around a bend. They ran together in sync with each other's footfalls, Aurie's bare feet and Ace's boots kicking dust off the floorboards. A light blush formed on her cheeks as she recalled the last time she felt this thrilled.

* * *

A signboard with gold engravings indicating a shopping mall hung above the main entrance of tall newly built edifice facing the main road with heavy traffic flow all round the clock. Inside the shopping complex, at a five star restaurant, noisy customers ate and drank, guffawing loudly, slamming empty mugs on tables and shoving insane amounts of food down their food stained mouths.

Aurie watched in fascination, somewhat afraid yet she felt safe. She had never been to such a rowdy place, and would never have if it weren't for the orange hat pirate sitting across from her, chewing on a gigantic portion of meat and spaghetti, who apparently chose now to be a good time to fall asleep face first into his noodles.

The laughter died down to a considerate laughter, and all around the table she shared with Ace, his division members glanced across to one another, passing an unspoken message. One by one, the tables were cleared of pirates.

"The bill is all yours, Ace-kun!"

"Thanks for the free meal!"

"See ya back at the ship, buddy."

A few snickers and innocent faces at the waiters later, Ace sat back up, tomato sauce dripping off his chin.

"Huh?" Ace looked left to right in surprise, then ahead, his hat tipping low over his eyes, thin line of his lips curving into a small smirk. "Say, Aurie, have you done a dine-and-dash before?"

"A what?" Aurie looked him straight in the eyes, hers full of panic, and his maintaining his cool. _A dine-and-dash?! Doesn't that mean—_

"You eat and then do a little work out in exchange for paying the bill."

"That's possible?" She looked at him with doubt and curiosity, forcing Ace to keep a straight face.

"Sure it is. It works on any town, any island. Just follow my lead."

Ace stood up slowly, offering her his hand which she quickly grabbed on it as she left her seat. Then Ace began to tiptoe towards the exit.

"Wait, Ace-san, what are you doing?!" Aurie whispered, tugging on his arm.

"Come on, live a little."

"What are you—?!"

But Ace took no notice of her panicky voice, pulling Aurie along on her heels.

They had barely tiptoed a metre to the door when all the waiters' eyes were on them.

"Now!"

And Ace took off at a frightening speed. Aurie had to strain her leg muscles to keep up with him, panting breathlessly as they raced around town, dodging fruit stalls and random citizens in the way, all the while being chased by a chef and his frying pan. She couldn't help but smile, shrieking and laughing along with Ace.

* * *

A warm glow covered the pale skin of her cheeks, as she reminisced the previous time she ran like that, like her life depended on it. Aurie smiled at Ace and he returned with an even wider smile.

They dodged pillowed and bolsters hurled their way in the narrow corridors, leaping over several more along the littered floor. She never once let go, putting her trust in the fire user leading her around corners and up and down flights of stairs.

"Here we go!"

Ace and Aurie ran out onto the deck. The cool salty air of the ocean entered their noses once again. For Ace it was like home to him, however, Aurie took a deep breath, savouring it, glad to be out of the musty rooms and hallway below deck. Ace laughed lightly at her reaction.

"Banana peel! Look out!"

"Marco?!" Ace replied looking around for his friend's familiar turf of blond hair.

"No, dumbass! Banana peel on the floor!" The voice shouted back in exasperation, just as Ace stepped on it.

Aurie felt her hand yanked forward and she bumped into Ace's back. Having no shirt to grip onto, she wrapped her free arm around his waist. Ace tries to find back his balance as the banana peel with his foot still on it slid across the now wet floor... _Why is the floor wet?!_ His attempt failed and he's weight shifted forwards, the floorboards looming into his line of sight. Instead of letting go of each other, Ace had unintentionally tightened his grip on her hand, and she had done the same, gripping onto him, her fingers almost digging into his palm. Aurie shut her eyes in fear as they went skidding into a pile of crates stacked against the other side of the deck.

The couple crashed into the crates. The force of the collision toppled the ones on top onto the fallen ones, sending the entire pile crashing down.

For a heartbeat, no one on the deck stirred, wondering if they'd gone too far with the prank. However, they were soon proven wrong by a faint smell of charred wood.

"You smell that?"

"Like burnt wood..."

"Who did we get...?" A hesitant voice.

"Fire fist?! W-w-wait!—"

"Grab the water! Quick!"

The crates burst into flames, sparks of fire falling all around the deck like the night sky was raining stars.

The fallen droplets of flame sizzled onto the wet deck all around, and unfortunate nakama were smacking themselves trying to put out the growing fire on their clothes. Upon a closer look, the fire burnt the brightest in the middle, like a glowing ring. The dancing flames cast shadows across the ship, incinerating the crates, the wood cracking and crumbling. The fire in the middle of all the wreckage slowly dissolved...

...Revealing the silhouettes of two figures crouched against an unburned crate, the more muscular one holding himself protectively over the lean, shorter one with flowing long hair.

Aurie lay sprawled on the damp floorboards, head against an unburned crate, watching wide eyed at the flames licking off the partially destroyed wooden boxes all around them. She kept her hands to her chest, gaze settling on the man holding himself up by his strong arms over her small frame. They were so close; barely an inch away from the other. And Ace acted like he didn't notice. His smug look was replaced by a concerned one, as he quickly scrambled to his feet, offering her an outstretched hand.

"Hey, you okay?"

Aurie was too speechless, words caught in her throat. This was the closest she had ever been with someone of the opposite gender, and she honestly had no idea how to feel. She felt her cheeks redden again. _Why does this always happen around him? My heart feels like it's fluttering out of my chest! _

"Don't tell me I fried our newest member already. Just when I managed to recruit one. Damn." Ace looked to the sky as he spoke dramatically, scratched the back of his neck, then tentatively turned to face her again.

"I didn't burn you, did I?" Now with a more worried look, he glanced at her bare skin, searching for burns.

She shook her head quickly.

He leaned in closer, staring deep into her eyes. "M-hm. I don't see a liar."

If she could give off steam, she would have. She felt all flustered and wasn't sure where to place her eyes, glancing all around but constantly looking back at him. _Argh, those serious dark brownish eyes, his fire dancing in their reflection. And those freckles are like the constellations in the night sky. So far away yet so close. What am I even thinking about?! Those eyes... He reminds me of Aydin..._

"Ace..." A cold voice spoke from behind them.

Ace turned around carefully. Beyond the charred floorboards, the first division commander stood with a vein bulging on his forehead, his droopy eyes widening ever so slightly, brows furrowed in anger.

Aurie took that opportunity to run off, trying to sort out her messed up thoughts and her feelings, running into the doorway leading to the back of the ship.

"Wait! Aurie—!"

Blue flames burst to life on Marco's forearms...

"W-wait, I can explain this, so you see..." Ace smiled sheepishly. A sweat drop forming as he found no good way to explain the burnt deck, muttering to himself, "Oh _shit_ pineapple."

"I told you not to burn the ship for the millionth time! Get back here!"

A clash of blue and red flames erupted on deck, sending crew mates running away from the two with fists full of pillows.

Up on the crow's nest, Thatch sat with his legs hanging off the edge. His took a swig from his brand new bottle of sake stolen fresh from the fridge, leaning to his left as a fireball flew past where his head originally was, an unchanged relaxed expression still on his face.

"Eh, and I thought we weren't suppose to wake Oyaji."

* * *

Author's Note: Marco's hair looks like a banana peel don't you think? *giggles maniacally* I ever placed a banana peel on my head to test that out.

The name Aydin has to do with fire. It was a random find on Google.

Thank you everyone for following this story. Did I mention that this is the first time I'm writing romance. Yep, first time in my entire life. *beams proudly* So what does everyone think of my story so far? What do you like and dislike about it? What do you wish to see in future story arcs? Feedback is always appreciated and stay tune for more of Ace and Aurie!


	7. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I still don't own One Piece. This disclaimer is getting repetitive, don't you think? Aurie and now, Aydin, are mine. XD I promise not to have any more OCs. :P

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The room was shrouded in darkness, not even the moonlight could enter the sealed up storeroom. The air was stale and it smelt of wood and a whole mix of random necessities, from gunpowder to fabrics and toiletries. She crouched behind a stack of crates; knees hurdled close to her chest. The dark was frightening her and it wasn't helping her think. Lost in her messed up thoughts, she had ran into the store room and shut the large door behind her with surprising strength she could only muster when in panic. It was only after it shut with a click, that she realized she had locked herself in. It was so silent that she could hear her heartbeat thumping in her chest.

Aurie grabbed the pillows she had stolen in the confusion back at the mess hall, and hugged them tightly, rocking herself to calm down. It wasn't helping much, however, and the same thoughts kept swimming about in her mind.

_Ace had so many opportunities to kiss me. From budging into the dining area, running around the corridors, and most of all when he saved me from the falling crates. Why the heck didn't he? He said he would win the kiss, and now he's not wanting to? What the hell is wrong with me? I actually wanted him to kiss me, in those instances that he was so close. Not because I wanted to end this stupid game, I don't even know what to feel any more. Ace reminds me too much of Aydin... Or what Aydin would've been like if he were here right now. And I barely even know the guy yet! _

_Argh, this is just too damn confusing for me! _She scratched her head in frustration, causing stray ends to stick up like she just had a bad hair day. The whole time she had her eyes shut tightly, fingers digging into the pillows. She had always been afraid of the dark; being unable to see anything scared her. And that was what she feared most of all. Aydin had told her about the night sky filled with stars, more than you could ever count. Knowing that light could shine so brightly in the dark no matter how far away each and every speck in the vast sky was, comforted her. She didn't think she'd ever get to see darkened sky like that, but she did, thanks to Ace._ I finally got to see it, Aydin. Can you see it too?_

Tiny feet scurried across the wooden floor, forcing Aurie to open her eyes. Small unintelligent eyes met hers, but the contact was soon broken as the mice turned around and dove into a gap between a couple of crates with a soft squeak.

She didn't want it to leave, and now left in the silence, the dark was starting to eat at her again. She didn't want to see it; she didn't want to stare into this black hole. She felt her hands gripping the pillows tightly, her body shivering in the chilly night air. No matter how afraid she was, she wouldn't cry, and she absolutely wouldn't scream.

Suddenly, she felt a pair of warm hands on her shoulders. Cautiously, she took a peek. Terrified deep blue eyes lifted to meet a pair of gentle dark brownish eyes. As her eyes got used to the darkness, she could make out an outline of messy long black hair, a couple of strands framing either sides of his face, and the usual splatter of freckles on his cheeks. His hat was hanging off the strings, on his back. Ace wasn't smiling, eyes conveying worry and concern.

His voice was barely a whisper, "Aurie-san, hey. I apologise for startling you like that earlier on."

He paused to check if she was listening and instead felt slender fingers on his wrists. She had abandoned the pillows in her lap for his warmth. Ace decided to adapt to her actions, unsure of what was going on in her head. _Heck, I don't even know what goes on in girls' heads, much less this one over here that doesn't scream like one when in trouble. _

Apparently, Aurie wasn't listening to his words.

"Light your fire please." She sounded desperate and terrified, leaving Ace stunned for a second.

He quickly regained his composure, his face displaying only calm. "I can't, there's gunpowder and explosives here," he felt her tense up again, "but I can show you something."

He carefully took a seat on her right, their shoulders pressed close together. "Watch." He stretched out his hands, waiting for her to look at them. Once he had gotten her attention, he whispered, "_Hotarubi _(Firefly light)."

His hands began to glow a greenish shade of yellow, and tiny orbs emerged out of his palms, floating in the air as they spread out around them. The balls of light cast shadows across the cramped room, illuminating her sky blue hair as well as leaving their faces in heavily shadowed. Ace felt Aurie's glance move from the spectacle before her to his face, and he gave her a reassuring grin.

"They look like fireflies, don't they?"

Aurie nodded, arms wrapped around the pillows again, but more loosely this time. She had crept closer to him, and he felt her cold skin against his. She was still shivering, but he was uncertain if it was from the chilly night air or if she was still afraid. A peep at her pale features confirmed it was the latter. _At least she isn't terrified anymore._

"Why don't I tell you a story?" Ace smiled warmly at her.

Head tilted slightly, she looked up at him with curious eyes.

"Well... There was this one time, Thatch and I added sugar to Marco's green tea. We couldn't understand why that pineapple liked his tea bitter, y'know? I mean, c'mon, it tastes weird! Anyway, so Thatch found a packet of sugar and we dumped the contents into the large green tea pot in the dining room. That would've certainly made it crazy sweet. However, I had helped Thatch pour salt into it without realizing. And boy was Marco's reaction to it hilarious. He sprouted a fountain of salty green tea!"

Aurie giggled into her pillows.

"Then what happened?" She looked at Ace intently.

"Oyaji happened to be one of the few to take a sip of it. We had to go into hiding for the whole day." Aurie laughed, a real laugh void of terror.

Ace decided to keep it up before she had time to let her thoughts and fear wonder.

"I have another one. We were sailing towards this 'friendly' island. A couple of fisherman and their mayor rode all the way out into the open sea to stop Oyaji from docking there. They wanted a 10, 000 beri docking fee! What an insane amount can you believe that?

"Well, Oyaji saw through them at once. The mayor was terrified. Apparently, the marine captain overseeing the island made them force money out of the tourists if not they'd prevent trade in the town. While Oyaji and the mayor were distracted with their discussion, I took my boat out to the island. And you know what I did? I tackled all of the marines at their base and poured itching powder into their boxers." He concluded with a smirk.

Aurie's face glowed a shade of red, and she giggled, a hand over her mouth.

"After that, the marines left us alone. They were pretty easy to take out, considering that they could barely hold their rifles and swords without scratching their asses. Oyaji took over the island in the end."

"Oyaji is awesome," Aurie laughed as the image of the marines formed in her imagination, "You're pretty awesome too."

"I guess I am, thanks," Ace replied with a smug look, quickly replaced by a serious smile and worried eyes, "Feeling better?"

Aurie smiled slowly, several long strands of hair falling forward over her cheeks as she nodded, "Mhm, thank you... Ace-kun." Then a genuine smile spread across her face.

Ace returned the smile and they sat in silence for several long minutes. The warmth and light from Ace's firefly orbs danced gently, providing them with warmth, mostly Aurie. He watched as she continued to stare at them in fascination, reaching up to touch one of the closer balls. She pulled away before it got too hot for her bare skin to touch, but showed no fear towards it.

The silence stretched on. Occasionally, Aurie glanced at Ace like she had sometime to say but turned away whenever he met her gaze. He didn't badger her about it though, and waited till she was ready to say it. He had all the time, the others hasn't discovered their hiding spot yet...

Ace heard running on the deck. It was very faint but getting closer.

"Aurie," he whispered to get her attention, "We are going to move."

"Why?" She whispered back, "To where?"

"Get ready. I'm putting out the lights now."

One by one the glowing orbs winked out of existence, till only three were left. However, he didn't give her time to regain her fear.

He grabbed one of her pillows in her lap and placed them in her hand. She got the signal and quickly grabbed the other in her left. Ace gestured with the pillow in his right hand to the door near the hinges, and they crept across the dusty floor together as the remaining orbs of light disappeared. Aurie had to shuffle over to catch up with his pace. Before she managed to reach his new position in the corner near the hinges, the thick wooden door swung wide open, letting the moonlight in. A warm hand tugged hers and pulled behind the narrowing gap between the door and wall.

A couple of voices spoke in whispers from across the thick wood; she could roughly make one of them out to be Marco, going by his irritated voice.

The voices soon left and the door was shut behind them, but this time, it was left slightly ajar. Ace knew what that meant. Marco knew they were here, but he wanted them to come out of hiding on their own. Well, mainly Ace, Aurie was just an innocent bystander caught up in this mess. And not forgetting that he did burn the deck.

Aurie had somehow found the voice to speak, even though it was most likely because she felt the need to now.

"Ace-kun, what about... The..." She looked aside, a light blush forming, "The kiss?"

_So that was it. She seemed so worked up about it... Don't tell me it's her first?_

He placed his signature hat back on his head, and looked her straight in the eye.

"Alright, where would you like to share it?"

* * *

Author's Note: Alright! We are finally getting there. You could say that this is the beginning of the start of their relationship. And Ace is so considerate, what a polite pirate. *laughs*

I've mainly used this pillow fight arc to build up some backstory and a little bit of foreshadowing to the characters, mainly Aurie. And just to have y'all know, Ace isn't serious about the relationship. Yet. That will (probably) be worked out in the next arc as well.

Shout out to all my reviewers so far!: Ellerocks92, Mikey, Nike, 4fireking, Stefano, tigrisriver9, SolarEclipse and Teridax.

Honto ni arigato! Thank you for all the support so far, and I look forward to more! *wide grin*

Review for a shout out, anyone? *laughs*


	8. Chapter 7

Author's Note: School is eating at my brains, but not to worry, my creativity is safe and sound. Sorry for the slow update! Gomenasai! *offers cookies of apology* I just got back to school this week and doodled a sleeping Ace with Marco and Thatch fooling around in the background on my notes. (Can't stay away from my Whitebeard Pirates obsession for long *laughs*) Yeap, my summer holiday was only 2 weeks, so be happy if yours is longer.

I wanted to write more for this chapter, but I've already delayed this update, so for now, please enjoy this!

Disclaimer: One Piece isn't mine, but Aurie is.

* * *

"Where would you like to share it?" Ace asked casually with a slight smirk, eyebrow raised in amusement at her reaction.

"W-w-what?!" She stammered out in with a raised voice, face red as a tomato. "But I don't... I don't..."

"You don't...?" Ace leaned in, and she pulled back hurriedly.

Quick footsteps and one wrongly placed foot over foot had her toppling backwards. The world spun upwards then paused abruptly. Her eyes trailed down her arm to see another hand at the end of it, gripping her arm and hauling her up by it. She tried to shy away from his touch again, but another warm hand rested on her shoulder as she quickly found her footing once more.

Worried dark brown eyes met surprised uncertain ones the colour of the ocean reflecting the blue of the sky.

"I could always get Thatch to end the game without us having to do anything..."

Ace watched for Aurie's reaction, slightly surprised that her face didn't light up at that. Unable to read her, he continued on, trying to phrase his reasons in a way that didn't sound like his really wanted to kiss her without sounding that he didn't like her at all. He didn't like her in that way but he couldn't say that he had no feelings for her either. He found her fascinating, a different species of female all together. He liked how she might look shy and small in comparison to everyone onboard, but she carried herself with a certain kind of elegance, a rare sight on these oceans and damn, she could kick some ass too. She made a fine addition to his division, a change from the few rowdy females that drank like there's no tomorrow and picked easily avoidable fights, laughing hoarsely over the dinner table. Her dreams and goals were worlds apart from the rest but even that was inspiring and something noble. The way she gazed at the night sky captivated him.

"...But then I'd have to face Marco's wrath by first light and that would really suck. And possibly Oyaji's too. Doubt he'd like barbecued floorboards for breakfast. It would be nice if I got something out of this..." Ace ended, running fingers through the hair at the back of his head, eyes not meeting hers.

The silence returned.

Ace mentally winced. That didn't come out how he wanted it to.

"You don't just go around kissing people you don't feel anything for..." Aurie murmured, eyes avoiding contact with his.

"I never said I went around kissing people I don't feel anything for." Ace replied, then in a softer tone, "I never said I didn't feel anything for you."

Now their eyes met, Aurie staring at him incredulously.

Ace merely shrugged, "Even though I don't feel anything for you now, that doesn't mean I won't feel anything for you in the future. Same goes for you. The future is always set in motion and we are living out our lives dangerously as it is. Why not take the chance now?"

"You make it sound like you are going somewhere, leaving..." Her eyes were fixed on the dusty floor, her heart undecided.

"Well you never know. I'd rather start making memories now before it's too late."

Aurie frowned. Ace had a lot of point, and what he just said struck a chord within her. _Aydin had said the same thing. Taking chances and failing were better than not trying at all. That was what we believed it. And haven't I always been taking chances as they come? If I didn't I'd still be stuck at home, hiding from the marines. I wouldn't have studied the stars, wouldn't have joined the Whitebeard Pirates. But love is a different issue all together._

"Love isn't all that different." Ace replied coolly, and Aurie almost jumped out of her skin, thinking that Ace had read her mind, "Oyaji, all our nakama here, Luffy; caring for them is love too."

"I don't know how to love; the last person I cared about was a long time ago," her voice was barely a whisper.

He observed her for a moment. The subtle movements, gripping the pillows with white knuckles, face pinkish with the remnants of her fading blush. Her eyebrows were knitted together, eyes cast downwards, avoiding; lips a tight line bordering on a frown. _That person must've been someone really important._

"Then let's love each other like siblings do. It doesn't have to be romantic, but as long as we care for each other. Everyone here is like a sibling to me and by extension, they are to you too."

In the dim light slipping through the vertical gap, his hand found hers, although mildly startled she didn't resist. Their hands held outstretched but slack at waist level, the distance between them vanishing as Ace moved in. She saw a kind but playful smile slip onto his freckled face.

"I'm gonna make your heart a little bigger, a little warmer, with something irreplaceably valuable."

She saw a kind but playful smile slip onto his freckled face. It only took her a few seconds to figure it out. _Ace is getting a crazy idea that I don't want to be a part of._

* * *

Marco wore an expression of calm, but anger radiated off him in waves, scaring off most of Thatch's division that had intentionally left the wooden crates in the middle of the deck. Well, what were once the crates, now all that remains of it were a few splintered wood, burnt black as charcoal at the edges.

Saving another crewmate was a good reason for burning up falling boxes, but obviously the fire user didn't bother controlling his flames. Being rather perceptive, Marco guessed that something else was on Ace's mind. He would have taken his anger out on Thatch for starting this whole nonsense in the first place, but that sneaky 4th division commander had ran off, leaving his division members standing around awkwardly throwing buckets of sea water to extinguish the flames, avoiding Marco's lazy but observant eyes. A whole bunch of people were going to be in deep trouble when the sun rises.

Marco tapped his fingers impatiently on the wooden railings, his back to the calm ocean. He chose not to look at the gentle waves, soft repetitive splashes of cerulean, indigo and wisps of deep green, the white foam from crashing waves as the ship sailed against the current. He was waiting; waiting rather eagerly for a particular fire user to exit the store room. He knew he was in there, and hiding Aurie with him.

A clatter of bottles and heavy running feet vibrated the floorboards, and the sounds of surprise were quickly muffled. A gust of wind tore through the corridor, nearly colliding into Marco. A flash of orange and sky blue dashed ahead. Marco turned to see Aurie giving him a little wave with a pillow, a sheepish grin on her face as she got pulled along by Ace. Her feet flew across the deck, straining hard to match his pace, yet careful of her footing on the slippery wet floor.

_What in the world is Ace doing..._

Marco briefly glanced back to see his fallen nakama lining the doorway to a bend in the hallway. Assuming that Ace had come from the storeroom, that would be a long line of twitching, half drunk, pillow feather covered nakama around the ship. He could only shake his head at the mess. Arms turning into brilliant glowing blue wings of his half phoenix form, he flew at breakneck speed to the retreating back of the Mera Mera no Mi user, ready to tackle him to the ground.

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Author's Note: Thank you for reading! And please review, I love feedback! Follow and favourite if you'd like to follow the adventures of Ace and Aurie, I'd be so elated. *smiles*

As promised, shout outs to PrototypeWritingZ, Ellerocks92 and yuki0123 for reviewing!


	9. Chapter 8

Author's Note: Sorry for the delay in releasing this chapter! As such, I will inform y'all kind readers that new chapters will only be out every weekend. School will be getting more hectic for me, I've got a film project (Shout out to film students!) coming up, and I'm also working on an original manga.

Response to reviews:

Diclonious57, thanks for the feedback! A food fight sounds like a great idea; I'll see how I can work that into my further chapters. I never really saw a pillow fight as girly, judging from the violent way my brother and male friends whack each other with pillows. *laughs* But thanks, you got me thinking about pillow fights. Oh, and thanks for reminding me about Ace's narcolepsy, I'll try to make him fall asleep more often and randomly.

PrototypeWritingZ, I hope this chapter doesn't disappoint. ^^;; I really hope it makes up for the bad previous chapter.

Disclaimer: *disclaimer-san has fallen asleep* Well, onwards! To the story!

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He only flew a short distance, not even near his target, he started to slow. Wings reverting back to human limbs, the fiery blue of the flames extinguished till only a few glowing blue specks were left vanishing into the night breeze. Amidst the mess and chaos of pillow feathers, his nakama were all having a good time fooling around. But what caught Marco's attention was the shirtless man and pale skinned lady laughing as they play-fought together against nakama that outnumbered them. It was hard to ignore the fun and laughter on the deck, he felt himself becoming lost in the light hearted fun. The joy on Aurie's face was evident, and he found himself not wanting to interrupt their fun. Marco slowed to a stop at the edge of the higher deck at the rear end of the ship, gazing out at them with sleepy yet alert eyes. Perhaps getting Ace for damaging the deck could wait till morning...

* * *

Who knew swinging pillows like an axe into random people could turn into a bonding session. Well not between attacker and the victims, but both of the pillow welding duo racing down the length of the deck wearing crazed expressions. Pillow feathers fluttered about in the moonlight like snow, the gentle sea breeze slowly their descent. Although outnumbered by their nakama with a drunken sway in each footstep, their pillows flew about like swords, expertly taking down their opponents.

"I got 21 of them!" She grinned widely, teeth showing, panting slightly.

"22." A smirk spread across the freckled face of her companion.

"No fair!" She pouted, and he patted her sky blue hair, ruffling it affectionately.

* * *

At first many tried to get close to them, only to be defeated by the single pillow in the firm grip of Ace's hand. His other never lost his hold on hers, and he shielded her from many more incoming attacks. Majority of the participants of Thatch's pillow fight idea had backed down, admitting victory to him. Careful whispers just of earshot of bets were being placed, jolly crewmates throwing aside their pillows and toasting whatever remains in their liquor bottles to this one of a kind, fun filled night. Now was just the wait, waiting to see what Ace was going to do.

Technically speaking, Ace had won already. But why was he not making a move? Thatch squinted at them, pondering. Legs hanging off the edge, he sat high up on the wooden poles that held the folded sails, a quarter of liquor left in the bottle daggling by two fingers across its neck behind him. He leaned forward with curiosity.

Pillows left aside with their onlookers, Ace was pulling Aurie to the centre of the deck. Aurie didn't attempt to pull away, she still had a wide smile on her moonlit face, laughing freely from the crazy fun they had at the expense of their crewmates. Ace had a gentle smile, his hat rested on his back, dangling off its strings. The wind picked up, tossing their hair about, Aurie's dress creating folds as the ends danced with the wind.

Thatch drank the remains of his sake, and laughed aloud. He was as curious as everyone, whether Ace was a hopeless romantic or not. Seeing that he didn't simple kiss her out of the blue, despite having so many opportunities to, it wasn't hard to tell that he cared for her feelings and probably had some for her too.

_C'mon, Ace. 'Tis a perfect moment right now._

* * *

Izo and Haruta paused in the middle of their fight, looking down at the lower deck where Ace and Aurie stood at arm's length. Haruta was covered in make-up powder from the surprise attack from Izo's powder trapped pillows. Then slowly pulled away from each other, making eye contact with unspoken words, they lowered themselves into a sitting position at the head of the Moby Dick. The game was over; all that's left was to observe the winner claim his prize.

* * *

_"I'm gonna make your heart a little bigger, a little warmer, with something irreplaceably valuable."_

Those words echoed in her mind as the heat from Ace's touch raced up her arms. Her heart was thumping in her chest, her feet rooted to the ground. She didn't know how to react and Ace was taking his own sweet time. He pulled her a little closer.

"You feel comforted by the starlight, don't you." It wasn't a question. Ace smiled softly, "Under the moon and stars. And you and I, we are two insignificant specks brushing past for an instant, a very worthwhile space of time, we can start a spark..."

Without warning, their lips grazed against each others. Ace slowly wrapped an arm around her shoulder, guiding her into his warmth. She found that she couldn't resist, her wide surprised eyes drooping to slits. Her fingers traced their way up his arm, her hand gently caressing the back of his neck, his hair brushing against them. He was so warm, it was like a gentle yet fiery protection, and so caught up in the moment, she was more than willing to sink into it.

Ace pulled away slowly, realizing that all eyes were on them, and he didn't want to turn it into an awkward situation. He was pleasantly surprised that Aurie didn't resist despite her earlier protests in the storage room. Their lips parted, but he still held on to her, his strong arms supporting her thin back, and her hands were still on his. His eyes met hers again, and he spotted the light blush on her cheeks. It was cute how she couldn't hide her emotions well.

Cheers erupted from everyone on the deck. Shouts of congratulations and laughter pierced the silence.

Aurie felt the world returning, brought back to reality. For an instant, she had almost wanted the kiss to last longer. Seeing his eyes on her, she giggled softly and snuggled into his chest.

"Thank you, Ace. I'm glad it's you, and not any other."

* * *

Marco watched as the crowd burst into song and dance, getting drunk all over again. Ace released Aurie from his hug and brought her around to introduce her to the nakama in his division, who were apparently too drunk to answer anything coherently. He watched her laugh politely at them as Ace urged them to converse with her, then falling asleep all of a sudden, eliciting a hearty laugh from his comrades.

The partying and drinking were reaching an unbearable volume. Well, unbearable for their sleeping crewmates, at least.

And Oyaji.

Marco sighed, yet an amused glint remained in his sleepy eyes. Too late.

A door slammed open and a rumble was heard. The waves splashed with increased force and height against the ship, sending a spray of sea water onto the deck. The Moby Dick rocked slightly, and several lost their footing.

"Run for it! Oyaji woke up!" A panicked voice shrieked with a slur.

The ship rocked with more force as crewmates ran off into hiding, leaving pillows and opened bottles of sake around.

Marco sat on the railings from the higher deck, gripping the rail with one hand for balance. A pissed off looking Whitebeard exited his room on the lower deck and glanced around, medical equipment trailing behind him. He turned around slightly, head tilted and their eyes met.

"No marines here, Oyaji."

Marco added with a slight smirk, "Just the usual."

* * *

Author's Note: This is NOT the end! There is more of Ace and Aurie!

I actually rewrote this a few times. This is my very first try at romance, and I've never dated before so I wouldn't really know how it feels. Please give me feedback on this! I'd be totally overjoyed if you do.

This is NOT the last chapter. Next chapters will be about how Aurie adapts to living with her new pirate brothers and sisters, fighting together with them, having fun and all that. And more drama with Ace who will have doubts about his feelings! Oh no! *laughs at this fail summary*

Stay tuned for more! Each and every one of you that reviewed, favourite and followed are all precious to me!


	10. Chapter 9

Author's Note: I feel so inspired to write. This new story arc is about Ace and Aurie's meeting and I'm going to try my best to make it really interesting for everyone. It'll be an improvement from the previous chapters. I really want y'all to have fun reading it as much as I've having fun writing it.

The genre of this fanfic has been changed to adventure instead of humor. I'm not much of a comedy writer, since words can't really show weird facial expressions that are funny like in manga. *laughs*

Disclaimer: One Piece belongs to the future pirate king, Luffy. What? Wrong disclaimer? Onwards, to the story!

* * *

Ace had woken up a couple of minutes ago and dragged his feet across the deck. No one had gotten much sleep after the chaos the night before. Whitebeard, in his cranky sleepiness from his rude awakening, had left a couple of dents in the deck. That added with the charred floorboards, put Marco and the shipwrights in a foul mood the entire morning. Ace carefully avoided them by keeping to the walls, blocking him from Marco's sight and the shipwrights' heated argument on the less burnt corner of the deck. He passed by several crewmates that looked like they hadn't slept in months. Dishevelled hair, wrinkled clothes... Wait, was that pyjamas? Lazy feet dragged themselves across the hallway. A dark wavy haired boy tossed him a wave with an apologetic look, eyes trailing to Marco's back. Ace merely shrugged and headed on his way.

Slipping behind the doorway, he came face to face with Thatch. He sidestepped to let Ace into the galley. From his slightly sluggish movements, Ace could tell that he didn't get much rest either. A pot of soup was bubbling on the stove, and a plate of bacon and scrambled eggs sat on the row of crates serving as a side table against the wall.

"Hey, where's your girlfriend?" He asked with a mischievous grin, walking over to the shelves to reach for his collection of seasoning.

That caught Ace's attention. He looked aside and retorted, "Don't have any. Are you that sleepy you mistook me for someone else, Thatch?"

Their eyes met again, and Ace tried to mask his awkwardness at that word with a smug grin. The kiss he shared with Aurie the night before had completely evaded his mind; all he knew was that he had a warm feeling in his chest that wasn't caused by his devil fruit ability. Now knowing the cause of it, images flashed into his memory and the warmth in his heart grew tenfold. However, that brought about uncertainty and a tinge of sadness...

"Oh please, everyone saw your little romantic feat."

"I wouldn't have done that if it weren't for your silly game."

Thatch turned off the stove and brought the pot of minestrone soup to the makeshift table. Ace decided to distract himself by stealing a few pieces of bacon.

"Come on, aren't you in the least bit pleased with the efforts I put in to get you two together?" Thatch said as he took a seat by the crates. "You're the one that brought her onto our ship, and you know we don't usually recruit females. Aurie hardly even behaves like a pirate from what I've seen, and her reasons for joining are still rather vague. What surprised me even more was Oyaji letting her aboard."

Ace didn't meet his eyes, and continued stealing the pieces of bacon until the plate was empty, stuffing his mouth. He didn't have an answer for that, and he chose not to answer. He knew he liked her, and he could tell that she liked him, yet he felt that she was holding back, just like how he was holding back for his own reasons.

_Those reasons,_ he sighed softly, _are always the cause of my troubles..._ Ace felt his eyelids grow heavy with each passing second, sleep beckoning his already sleepy mind into slumber. _No, not now... Darn it, I got stuff to think about..._

And his narcolepsy took effect. Thatch chuckled as he watched the amusing but everyday sight in front of him. Ace had fallen asleep with the last strip of bacon in his hand. A peaceful yet subtle grin was spread across his features, and his chest rose and fell steadily with his breathing. _Oh how convenient. _Thatch took away the plate and left it in the sink, balancing the scrambled eggs and soup on one hand each; he left for the dining area.

* * *

Organized columns and rows of artificial light escaping from dozens of windows outshone the night sky, blocking out the stars and leaving it a shade of dull gray-indigo. The horizon was obstructed by monstrous skyscrapers, rising over 20 levels into the sky. Despite the orderly looking buildings covering the entire island, the roads and pathways weave around them at random, sudden corners and dead ends popping up every now and then. However, no roads lead to an old and crumbling abandoned lighthouse located near the rocky cliffs. And that was the where he found himself.

Ace wasn't used to navigating his way around concrete jungles that blocked his view of the sea. The metallic modern structures masked the fresh salty scent of the ocean. And thus, he had left the populated city and headed north, in the opposite direction to where the Moby Dick had been docked at.

He glanced up at the lighthouse. It was nothing special. Ace has explored many islands with abandoned buildings and ruins along the Grand Line, but what intrigued him about this particular lighthouse was that it was just left there. The people could have torn it down and expanded their urban settlement just like they have done in the other parts of the island.

A shadow passed the highest floor followed by a glint of moonlight reflecting off a device that rotated away from the dim light. Ace's eyes widened ever so slightly with excitement, curiosity and need for adventure. No fear was visible on his calm demeanour; well, he wasn't chosen for the position of 2nd division commander of Whitebeard's crew for nothing.

The spiral stairway creaked with every step he took. Ace had lit his finger on fire, and carefully made his way up to the highest level. The walls were coated with dust and cobwebs but it appeared that the webs were pushed aside. Clearly someone had been here. The staircase landing led to a single door and Ace braced himself before pushing the door wide open. The door squeaked on its rusty hinges, the friction slowly down its swing and hitting the wall with a soft thud.

In the large semicircle room facing the ocean, a girl with pale blue hair that cascaded over her shoulders was hunched over a curved table against the round wall with windows that stretched across. She wore a pale white nightgown over her petite body, making her look rather ghostly yet angelic. Her cerulean eyes widened with shock upon noticing Ace's noisy entrance, and she began to gather all the scattered papers on the table hurriedly in panic. Gritting her teeth, she clumsily stuffed the sheets of paper into her sling bag, crumpling the edges.

"Hey, I'm not here to steal whatever is it you got there." Ace tried, hands raised slightly and the flame on his finger extinguished.

She wasn't listening, and backed into the wall. In the dim glow from the windows, she looked terrified. Her hands were gripping her bag of papers with white knuckles, unwilling to give it up.

Ace noticed from the corner of his eye that she had left her telescope on its tripod against the wall where the light couldn't reach.

"Are you studying the sky?" He asked casually but with interest.

She seemed to relax physically but was still tensed.

"No, it's what's beyond the sky. Outer space, the stars and all," she replied carefully, then fear returned to her voice, "Weren't you sent here to steal my research?"

"Steal? I might be a pirate, but I don't steal research about space," Ace replied, trying to imply the silliness of stealing something that was of no concern to pirates.

"Pirate," She simply said, a smile tugging at the corners of her pale lips, and Ace nodded.

"I'm Aurie," she smiled, "Welcome to my hideout."

* * *

Sleepy eyes opened and winced at the sudden bright light. Ace sat up with a start and glanced around, quickly adjusting to the daylight. The bowl of soup and scrambled eggs weren't on the crates, Thatch was nowhere in sight too. He ruffled the back of his head, tousling his messy hair as he stood up to leave. A sudden urge to find Aurie led him out of the galley and down several hallways searching for her.

_What did Aurie want to be a pirate for? _He was sure that the reason wasn't as simple as wanting to stargaze under a clear night sky.

* * *

Author's Note: Thanks for all the support so far and I hope my fanfic continues to entertain my readers in the present and future! Reviews, follows and favourites mean a lot to me. A LOT. ;D


	11. Chapter 10

Author's Note: This whole chapter is set during the time Ace and Aurie first met. This is slightly over a week before the Pillow Fight arc (Chapters 1 to 8).

Disclaimer: One Piece isn't mine.

* * *

"Your hideout?" He questioned with a slight smirk on his face. The moonlight from the large window cast shadows on Ace's orange hat, shading one of his eyes.

"This lighthouse belonged to my childhood friend's grandfather, pirate," Aurie replied with slight emphasis on the last word. The forlorn look on her pale moonlit face was quickly replaced by an intense gaze, one filled with curiosity and a tinge of suspicion.

"I'm Ace." He simply said, unsure of how she'd react if she knew he was with the Whitebeard Pirates. Ace wondered if she knew, the townspeople were all present when the Moby Dick and several allied ships docked just over a day ago. But Aurie didn't seem like she mingled with the townspeople, especially if she was hiding out here.

Aurie nodded in acknowledgement; however, her gaze was unwavering. She wanted more information obviously.

Moving away from the doorway, he took a seat on the table where the moonlight shone the brightest. Ace turned slightly, revealing to her part of the tattoo on his back: a dark purple skull with a crescent moustache over crossbones. Ace grinned widely, a smile filled with pride.

"I'm with the Whitebeard Pirates."

For a second, the silence returned. The rustling of paper could be heard, along with crickets chirping in the nearby trees and the gentle waves lapping against the rocky cliff side.

Then her face lit up with wonder, "You're with the Yonko, Whitebeard?" She moved closer, with hands supporting her weight on the table edge, leaning in to take a better look. Her eyes sparkled with interest, "Amazing!"

Realizing that she had forgotten to hide her emotions, she blushed in embarrassment. Ace chuckled. "Yeah, it's pretty amazing. Lots of awesome nakama, it's a great bunch of people to call your family."

"Family?"

"Oyaji calls us his sons, and we call him our father," Ace smiled, "We all need somewhere we belong, where we are accepted."

"That sounds so..." She hopped onto the table next to him, eyes wide, completely focused on the conversation with her newfound friend. "So incredibly awesome!"

It was hard to believe that Ace was a pirate at first glance especially since it was too dark for his tattoo to be visible, seeing that he didn't bother with shirts and preferred to go topless in the chilly late summer night. He was too considerate to be a pirate, and yet he was one. She sensed no ill intention from him, neither was there any pretence in his actions, he was genuinely friendly and open. Yet a nagging feeling at the back of her mind left her wondering if he was actually underestimating her. But here she was, having a conversation with a real pirate, despite it being rather one-sided. Despite choosing to be cautious with how much she was willing to share with him, it was a stark contrast to the curiosity and excitement written all over her face. However, Ace also caught a sense of longing from her, behind those bright, curious eyes.

A gentle smile spread across his freckled cheeks. "It certainly is. I wouldn't mind telling you more but I don't want to intrude on your time." His gaze drifted momentarily to the stack of paper shoved haphazardly into the sling bag hanging by an unravelling and slightly torn strap over her left shoulder. "You could always take a trip down south; the Moby Dick is at the 5th pier from purple and orange moss covered rocky outcropping. It's hard to miss."

He wanted to know more about her. Why she was hiding research about the stars and moon, why she was so open towards pirates. It was bordering on admiration, something lacking in the townspeople. It was out of the ordinary, and he felt a need to know. And it was not every day he got to meet someone interested in the distant and unreachable. Most people that sought adventure looked beyond the horizon, but she was looking at something else entirely; something that no one truly bothered about till now.

Ace got up to leave but a slender arm reached out hastily to stop him. Pausing just an inch away from his arm, she quickly withdrew. From the corner of his eye, he caught that flash of movement and turned around, only to have his surprised gaze was met by an equally shocked face framed by her long sky blue bangs that flowed over her shoulders.

Aurie averted her ocean blue eyes, "You're not intruding at all. Since you took the trouble to walk all the way here, why not stay for a bit?"

The clouds shifted in the light breeze, exposing more of the creamy gibbous moon. The semicircle room was cast in elongated shadows. The inner wall of the room was still shrouded in darkness, the light barely reaching the corner of a dark piece of fabric on the wall. Ace pretended not to notice it, resisting the urge to light his fire for a better look.

Aurie had a better look at Ace in the moonlight. He was slightly tanned, with a splay of freckles across the bridge of his nose, but what caught her attention was his fit and slightly muscular physique. Her cheeks turned a light shade of pink, and she quickly shook it away, searching for a distraction.

"I can show you where to find the stars!" Her face lit up, she hurried over to the homemade telescope, dragging it across the table until it sat in the middle facing the wide open windows.

He choose to play along, he wasn't need back at the Moby Dick until dawn after all. They both took a seat on the bench and Aurie began to fiddle with the telescope. The scope looked dented and there were several dilapidated components holding it all in place. Before Ace could ask if it really worked, Aurie turned the telescope in his direction and he looked through the lens.

It took them a while to search for faint stars in the blank dark sky. After finding a part of a constellation blocked out by thick clouds, Ace fell asleep at the table. Aurie went to grab a blanket for him, but when she returned, he had already woken up like nothing had happened.

They chatted about everything and nothing late into the night. Ace did most of the talking, telling her about his adventures and hilarious moments with his nakama. Every time he managed to get Aurie to laugh freely, he found himself wanting to see her laugh even more.

Ace felt comfortable around her. She hardly spoke but everything she had said felt genuine, and she gave off an aura of friendliness once you got pass the walls of uncertainty and suspicion she put up. Ace almost missed the fact that she had managed to avoid talking about herself the whole time. He wanted to get to know her, and he knew there was definitely more to her than meets the eye. The Whitebeard Pirates were stopping to restock on their supplies and meet up with several of their allies; that gave him plenty of time. Ace had all week.

The edge of the sky where the ocean met turning a vibrant shade of reds and yellows was his signal to leave. And thus, they parted ways.

"See you around, Aurie-san," Ace tossed a wave over his shoulder, a grin on his face, eyes shadowed by the brim of his hat once again.

They made no promises; however, they both knew they would see each other again for sure. As Ace went down the creaky spiral stairway, Aurie got a chance to see the full tattoo on his retreating back.

As he left, Ace realized that he had forgotten to check the wall where he had seen the dusty fabric. All he knew was that it was black, like a pirate flag.

* * *

Ace returned to the Moby Dick an hour past dawn. The sun had already risen, painting the morning sky with golden and purple streaks with a splay of clear blue and the waves sloshed against the ship lazily in an ocean of warm orange mixed with ultramarine blue.

"What took you so long?" Thatch called out from the deck several feet above as Ace climbed up the rope ladder skilfully.

"Why? What's up?" Ace asked in reply as he swung himself over the side with one arm, landing on his feet.

"An allied crew reported several marine battleships heading in our direction from a neighbouring island." Marco spoke up from the front of the ship, striding over to Ace and Thatch.

"Sounds like nothing new," Ace shrugged.

"Just be ready, we might be outnumbered this time."

* * *

Author's Note: Right, so I think I've finished setting up the beginning of this story arc. The next chapters will have action fight scenes and all. What is One Piece without some pirates versus marines anyway? *grins* This is pretty much why I rated it 'T' from the start. There'll be a little suspense in the mix, and of course, not forgetting the romance. Hopefully it will be awesome! Please review! Thanks for reading once again.


	12. Chapter 11

Author's Note: I feel that the previous chapter lacked excitement and was rather dull. Sorry about that. :( Perhaps in the future, I will rewrite it and word it better. There won't be much of a difference, just improved dialogue between Ace and Aurie.

I really hope this chapter doesn't disappoint! I really want to churn out good content for y'all, and it'll really help if you leave a review! I'm totally cool with criticism, keep it constructive though!

The first part before the line break is in the current time (after Aurie joined and the pillow fight), and the rest is in the flashback (before Aurie joined them).

This chapter is...

Dedicated to my younger brothers: Alfie and Mikey

Best friend and nakama who's like an older brother to me: Stefano

All my childhood friends: MCS FT Guild. You know who y'all are! Nakama till the end of time.

My only friends in school: Laidback Lazy Badasses Production! Thank you for accepting me, weirdness, obsessed Ace fangirl and all XD

My pirate crew / friendship club: Pikuchizu Kaizoku-dan! We might be small in number, but our bond holds strong. Our friendship is unbreakable, now and for always!

And you all of you readers out there! Thank you! :D

Disclaimer: One Piece isn't mine, never will be. Aurie is my precious OC though. :P

* * *

Ace staggered down the corridor, almost losing his balance and stumbling into a fellow crewmate. Apologies were exchanges, merely rushed words, none of the emotion intended behind it.

Apparently, a group of small fry pirate crews have gathered and chose now to be a great time to pick a fight with the strongest pirates on the Grand Line, turning a lazy late morning into full blown chaos. Everyone was still lethargic from lack of sleep, and most having hangovers. The rocking of the ship only made it worse as the enemy fired rounds of cannonballs relentlessly.

Crewmates who could still stand on their feet without a migraine were racing up and down, overworking themselves to defend the sides of the Moby Dick. On most occasions, the Whitebeard Pirates wouldn't have had much of a problem with attacks. Both the marines and pirates tended to leave them alone, fearing Whitebeard's strength, his division commanders and the number of allied crews he amassed across the Grand Line. However, half of the commanders out of action, and new and inexperienced members were left to deal with the problem. Whitebeard even agreed good practice for them, and only instructed the commanders to prevent damage to the ship.

He raced down a turning in the hallway, searching the dormitories. How hard can it possibly be to find a single girl?! About that... Ace skidded to a stop at the realization that he had not seen Aurie all morning. In fact, he hadn't seen her go to bed nor found anywhere to stay for the night. He really wasn't good with this whole recruiting nakama thing, wasn't he? Ace scratched the back of his head, the back of his hand bumping and tilting his hat forwards. He had only be made 2nd Division Commander two months ago, and he'd only gotten a couple of additional male crewmates joining. Obviously, they'd have no problem fitting in right away. Ace inwardly berated himself for not thinking this through, and felt bad for not securing her a free room for the night.

That just meant that she could be absolutely anywhere. Ace groaned at the thought. He felt that it was solely his responsibility to look after his division members, even though nakama across all the divisions looked out for one another.

Aurie couldn't be avoiding him, could she? Ace furrowed his brows at the thought. Nope, she doesn't have a reason to. He reassured himself with some doubt. But he was still worried. Who wouldn't be with an unarmed girl somewhere around the Moby Dick while it was under fire?

The ship lurched, and Ace felt the ground leave him for a second, but nimbly found his balance once again. A familiar face hurried past him, sweat beading on his forehead. Ace mentally sieved through the dozens of faces he saw every day. _He's from Haruta's division!_

"Hey, Jo—!" Ace called out.

"It's Sebastian, Ace-taichou." Sebastian paused, panting slightly, muscles tensed from carrying several cannonballs under each arm.

_Argh, names. Never really bothered with them. _

"Seb, sorry. Tell Haruta that I got to deal with something below deck. Just tell her that!" Ace shouted over his shoulder as he dashed off, not waiting to hear Sebastian's acknowledgment.

_Damn it, Aurie, where are you?_

* * *

Ace surveyed his fellow division brothers and sisters from his seat in the rundown restaurant bar. He had chosen to sit at the end of a long wooden table serving as the counter, away from the cash register. He never had any intention to pay up for consuming over 10 dishes of meat cuisines right from the start, the empty plates stacked high on his right, on the counter behind him. He had about 10 of his division members with him at the moment, seated equal distance away from one another, and yet at random. All of them wore jackets or tied cloth and bandage to conceal their Whitebeard tattoos, all except for Ace with his mark facing away from the entrance. Although they looked like they had a little too much alcohol, they were just exaggerating their act.

Whitebeard and Marco had decided on the 2nd division to scatter around the city to look out for marines and surprise attacks. It was partly because Ace couldn't contain his excitement too well.

"_Son, why are you so jumpy today?" He had asked, beckoning Ace over to his side._

"_I know there's the enemy waiting just beyond the horizon, and I know we are suppose to be here guarding our nakama and ships, but it's just that there's been nothing to do all day, Oyaji! For three whole days!" Ace dragged his voice, implying how bored he was. _

"_Gurararara..." Whitebeard laughed, "And you suppose there's far more interesting things to do on this island?" _

_He gestured towards the skyscrapers obstructing the skyline, the electrical cables running from one building to another, powered street lights and the posh way the townspeople dressed and carried themselves, "Is there anything more interesting than the Moby Dick out there?" _

"_Well no..." Ace thought for a second but quickly corrected himself, "I mean, yes. There is. But home is the best, of course."_

_Whitebeard studied his expression and seemed to contemplate on his answer for a few long seconds, "Alright then, I'm sending the 2__nd__ division to scout the area. There's a small marine base in the Northwest, so watch out for any sneaky marines for me, son." _

"_Aye Oyaji!" His face lit up with joy. Although he had wanted to visit Aurie, he supposed that could wait._

"_We're leaving, boys!" Ace exclaimed over the laughter and conversation to his division members. And crewmates scrambled to their feet enthusiastically._

_Leaping off the side of the ship to the surprise of several crewmates hauling in ropes with crates of supplies, he turned to shout, "See y'all by sundown!"_

Now, as he sat with his elbows resting on the counter top, leaning casually against it to get a full view of the entrance and surrounding walls, his thoughts drifted to the girl he met at the lighthouse three days ago. He had seen a longing for companionship in Aurie's ocean blue eyes. It was faint, but he recognized that spark in her when he agreed to stay till dawn. It reminded him of an incident 8 years ago, back when he was only 10...

Luffy didn't give up trying to befriend him despite how terribly Ace had treated him. Kicking down a tree which flattened him and a whole bunch of other crazy shit he did. Throughout it all, the spark in Luffy's eyes and that longing for friendship with someone like him didn't falter.

Suddenly, a window on the left wall of the restaurant flew open, almost ripping them off the hinges as they slammed into the walls, the glass shattering upon impact.

A shade of blue darted past him, swerved to a stop and ducked, shoving herself against the backing under the counter. She had sprinted at a blinding speed, but Ace managed to catch a glimpse of long flowing sky blue hair, a brilliant shade the colour of a cloudless afternoon sky. She was around a head shorter than him and wore a dirty white dress, small tears in the thin fabric stained with red from small cuts, and an overstuffed sling bag dangled off her shoulder. _Aurie?_

The laughter and drunken chattering left in a heartbeat, an eerie silence replacing it as everyone tried to register what they just witnessed. Several customers quickly paid the bill and left quietly and quickly. The air felt thick with pressure, everyone was acting rather tensed up. Even the bartender and the two chefs in the kitchen were getting fidgety, faces scrunched in worry and ill hidden panic. The bartender pretended not to notice the girl hiding under the counter, by facing his cabinet of liquor while cleaning glasses.

It wasn't long before the Whitebeard Pirates were the only customers left in the restaurant bar. Well, and the girl that hid in silence under the counter.

"Aurie-san," Ace whispered while keeping his eyes straight ahead, watching the entrance.

He felt a bump from under the counter, and assumed that she banged her head in surprise. From the vibration of the knock, he roughly pinpointed her location to be directly beneath and behind him.

"What are you up to?" Ace tried, his voice even and friendly.

He was met with silence.

"Do you need any help?"

Feet shuffled against the carpets.

"I know it's you, Aurie-san. I found you—"

The main entrance busted open. The wooden doors were sent flying inwards, raining splinters on the closest table of diners. A full squad of marines, about 12 of them in total ran in and barricaded the destroyed entrance, pistols and rifles raised and pointed in firing positions.

The Whitebeard Pirates didn't budge; they just watched them with jugs of beer half-raised, an amused smirk written all over their faces.

The captain stepped forward and commanded in a rigid, stern tone, "In the name of justice, Aurie Kairyn, you are under arrest for researching into illegal territory. Hand over your research and come with us quietly. Now."

"Woah, hold on a sec," A scruffy young man in his late 20s spoke up, "Do we all look like girlies to ya?"

"My grandma has better eyesight than you! She can see bird droppings from a mile away!"

A chorus of laughter accompanied his statement. Ace watched quietly, a smirk spreading across his face, orange cowboy hat shading the glimmer in his eyes.

"I'm asking for your cooperation, and I won't ask a second time. Hand over Aurie Kairyn."

The marines flanking him raised their weapons again threateningly. However, that didn't faze the pirates.

"Why should we?"

All eyes shifted to the fire user in the orange hat at the end of the restaurant. He tilted his hat back, revealing the dangerous glint in his eyes.

"What the heck are you saying?! Are you trying to defy the World Government?!"

"What if we already are?" Ace's forearms burst into flames as he stood up.

The rest of the pirates took that as a signal to reveal their identity, stripping off the bandages and cloth that hid their Whitebeard mark. Swords and pistols were all raised simultaneously and aimed at the marines, hungry for battle.

"They're Whitebeard Pirates!" One of the marine's wailed, stating the obvious, "And t-t-that's Portgas D. Ace—!"

"Shut up!" The marine captain bellowed then turned to face Ace and his gang, "Why are you defending her? What is your connection to her?"

Ace smirked.

"She is my friend, and by extension, she is our friend. That's more than enough reason to protect her."

* * *

Author's Note: Thank you for reading once again! Next chapter will be released slightly later, possibly next Sunday or during the weekdays after that.


	13. Chapter 12

Author's Note: As promised, here is the next chapter, released by Sunday. I felt the need to write this story of mine again. The scumbag teachers in my class said a whole load of crap about my script even though most of my group members liked it. I would've argued my point if I weren't so lazy. But then again, what's the point? I'll rather spend time writing for my precious readers.

Disclaimer: Everything but the plot and OCs don't belong to me.

* * *

Guns were fired, swords clashed with fury. Occasional fire rained down onto unfortunate marines. Pirates and marines struggled to take each other out. Although Ace and his group were able to hold their own in the brawl, more marines kept replacing their fallen comrades, filtering through the narrow doorway with pistols firing. Most of the shots missed, the pirates being too agile and experienced, dodging and beating them aside with ease. However, they wouldn't be able to keep it up for long.

She hid under the table with her legs up to her chest, feeling rather small in the chaos with only a table shielding her from the marines. She tried to focus on sounds from the fight, but it pained her to hear them. Aurie buried her face in her knees, eyes shut tightly in a futile attempt to shut out the noise.

_Why is Ace here?! These guys shouldn't even be fighting for me when I barely even know them! They are Whitebeard pirates and I'm pretty much nobody to them. What reason do they even have? Just because Ace says so? Even then I've only know Ace for a couple of hours, too little time to even know someone to the extent that you'll want to risk your life for them... _

Although she was relieved that they were holding off the marines, she didn't want to get them involved in her mess. A sword was flung carelessly at the table, the blade penetrating the wood. The sharp end exited barely an inch away from her shoulder, startling her. In that split second, she made her decision.

"Hi," she merely said as she stood up from under the table, a forced smile on her face.

Ace spun around, flames still licking off his shoulders and arms. "What the heck are you doing? Get down!"

"Oi!" She shouted, getting the marines attention.

The fight paused, everyone turned to look at her.

"Aurie, what are you trying to—?!"

Shoving her foot against the table, she gripped the sword with both hands and yanked it out of the table, almost losing her balance as she did so. Pulling back her hand over her shoulder, the tip of the sword reflected the light from the ceiling lamps in her shaky grip. Without wasting a second, she flung at the blade at the marine captain like a lance. It sailed through the air to its intended target, and slammed into his shoulder, drawing a light splatter of blood.

"Come and get me!" she added.

Before anyone could react, Aurie had darted into the kitchen behind and out into the streets by the back door. The chefs and bartender could only watch from their hiding positions under the kitchen sink, trying not to get in the way of the marines racing out the back door after her screaming their vengeance for hurting their captain.

Back in the front of the restaurant, the marine captain cursed and cried out in pain with the sword sticking out of his shoulder. His soldiers tried to get a hold on the handle; however, he kept flailing his arms around, batting their aid aside in his shrieking cries.

Several shadows converged upon him; he looked up deliberately with a strange expression of disgust and fear. Towering over him with weapons drawn were three pirates: A large man with a thick head of hair swinging a club, a scrawny teen with wild streaks of blond in his dark hair handling a double bladed sword, accompanied by an older man with a harsh frown and eyes shaded by a torn and tattered pale green hat, in his hands he held an oversized mallet with spikes.

"Yo, make things easy for us, yeah? Ace-taichou wants to know what you marines want with that girl," He brought the club dangerously close to the marine captain's face, "And I'm not gonna take shit for answers."

He whimpered, terrified eyes focused solely on the club, wiping off his once proud and obnoxious visage in terror.

"Speak up and we won't use violence," the teen added, swinging his blades.

"Illegal research... The stars and space!" The marine captain blurted out, "It's... It's a crime. Huge crime! N-n-need to be removed fr—!"

The eldest of the three questioned in a rumbling voice, anger seeping into his words as his grip on the mallet tightened, "Space? That stuff beyond our blue sky? How is that even a crime?!"

* * *

Ace watched at the blade flew like an arrow into the marine's shoulder, wide eyed with awe. He didn't think it'll hit, seeing that her aim was slightly off and her grip was shaky. Perhaps she had intended to hit some other part of him? Such a petite, gentle looking girl, that didn't go well with the word: deadly. Some other man would have shuddered in distaste if this was any other situation but it piqued Ace's interest.

"I'm going after her! You guys deal with that marine captain!" He hollered over the racket to a group of his nakama near the windows.

Using the marine's attention seeking cries of pain as a distraction, Ace fixed his hat on his tousled hair and headed out the door after the crowd of angry marines. With a flaming fist and several kicks, several marines lay sprawled on the ground with singed flesh, piling up at the exit.

He scanned the streets for her. Dark fiery eyes glanced over the crowd of terrified townspeople but Aurie was nowhere in sight.

"That's Fire Fist!" someone shouted from the crowd.

Ace cursed silently under his breath as all the marines within earshot whirled around to fix him with a cold glare, deft hands loading up their weapons. As much as he hated turning his back to the enemy, he knew he didn't have time to go through the hoard of them. He didn't need to think any further though, a cheeky voice called out from the tiled roof of a shop house.

"Yo Ace! Need a hand?"

"Thatch!" Ace grinned up at the silhouette of his friend on the roof, the sun peeking out from the clouds behind him.

"You've got somewhere to be, haven't ya?" Thatch smirked as he leaped off the roof with a team of his division members, landing not far from Ace's position, "That old rundown lighthouse on the cliff?"

Ace masked his surprise, "I suppose." _How'd he guess?_ "Did you see a girl running in that direction? A girl with blue hair?"

"Blue hair? All I see are the usual common colours," Thatch swung his swords skilfully at a couple of marines behind him, not bothered to look as he continued, "Aside from that, Oyaji says that there's something the marines want at the lighthouse, just don't let them get it."

"Sure thing, thanks!" Ace acknowledged and took off in a sprint.

"Watch out for the marine base in the Northwest, Ace!"

Kicking up dirt and gravel as he raced down the streets and around a bend, he took the shortest route possible to the lighthouse. Little did he know that Aurie was heading in the opposite direction.

* * *

Trembling fingers reaching for the flap underneath her sling bag, feeling the cold metal of two hooks large enough for three fingers to fit through. She drew them out from the hidden compartment, two thin straight blades of about 30 centimetres in length each, intricately carved wooden hilts with a sturdy metal rod linking the blades to the attached metal hoops at the end. She acted fast, charging straight through the crowd of marines obstructing the back alley.

The blades weren't much and with her poor swordsmanship, she'd only managed to cut down five of them, all she had was speed and surprise working to her advantage. Aurie switched to a reverse grip and spun around, the blades tearing through flesh as she used her instincts and her senses, roughly knowing the locations of the closest marines around her. It wasn't much, but she could roughly sense them within a 5 metre radius, and she could only hope it would be good enough against surprise attacks.

Aurie pressed on, switching back to a forward grip to tackle the marines ahead. Her body was starting to give in to exhaustion but adrenaline pushed her on. There was no end to the platoon barricading the exit. She didn't regret taking this route though. She had spent countless nights planning the escape paths throughout the entire island as a kid, and had continued to upgrade them as the town grew in size and buildings were constructed. Aurie could safely say she knew every road, every sidewalk and back alley in Summerfall Isle. Obviously someone else working for the marines had outsmarted her, and she wasn't pleased.

A sharp pain coursed through her leg, and she glanced down to find a gash along her thigh. She brought her blade down onto her attacker but halted as she sensed another coming from behind to shove her. Pivoting on her left foot, she tried to use the momentum to swing the blade across his chest, but she felt her legs give way as yet another tripped her over with a sudden kick to her sheens. She went down with a silent cry, gritting her teeth more out of anger than pain.

She landed on her front, her elbows grazing the rough dirty ground. The contents in her bag spilled out, littering the ground in front of her with research notes and sketches. Aurie reached out for her scattered papers but a foot encased in a polished boot stomped down on the pieces closest to her, leaving a smudge of mud on the once white paper.

Her eyes filled with a raging fire met steel gray emotionless eyes. A tall man with neatly trimmed hair tugged under a cap with the navy's symbol stood with his arms crossed, captain's jacket resting on his squared shoulder, sleeves flapping slighting in a breeze. Aurie's expression changed to one of recognition and horror.

"Aydin?!"

* * *

Author's Note: The next chapter will be out by next Sunday... I hope. School has been taking up a lot of my time, and I have a lot of anime to catch up on. But not to worry, at most I'd only make y'all wait 2 weeks. Sorry if there are any typo errors, I'll correct them later. Gonna run! Till next chapter, guys!


	14. Chapter 13

Author's Note: Did you know I dreamt of Marco and I dancing around a bonfire, hand in hand, as snow fell on the Moby Dick? Everyone was laughing and having fun, and Whitebeard's coat was really thick and fluffy. Yes, and I was late for school because I continued to dream happily past my alarm.

Disclaimer: If you still think I own One Piece you gotta get your head checked.

* * *

"I'm not him," he replied, "I'm not Aydin."

Aurie could not hear him, her eyes were fixed on his features, those milky green eyes, the outer corners tilting downwards giving him a sad look when coupled with pale lips in a frown. Everything about him shouted Aydin. He unsheathed the katana on his belt and brought it to her throat, eyes staring down at her coldly.

"That boy is dead, Miss Aurie. Never speak of him again. You caused his death, all for the sake of your childish fascination with the sky beyond," Emotionless eyes bore into her soul with their unflinching gaze. "You've no right to speak his name."

"You are Aydin... There's no way you aren't, you are the splitting image of him."

"Do not speak of his name so easily!" He roared, pressing the blade against her throat, a trickle of blood staining the ground beneath.

She watched the blade piercing the first layers of her skin, gulping in fear. The fear outweighed the stinging sensation of the cut and she froze. His words stung but she couldn't feel any hatred toward him, because she knew part of it was true. She couldn't look him in the eye without letting the guilt she had buried in her heart show on her face.

It was strange feeling so close to her death. Although she had been on the run and hiding for over 5 years, she had never been this close to meeting her end. However, the Aydin lookalike was delaying it; his lips were a thin line, quivering slightly as some sign of indecisiveness returned to his dull green eyes.

The seconds ticked on, Aurie stole a glance at him. He was trying hard not to look at her, his grip on the sword shaking ever so slightly.

"Kill her and take the research notes, sir," one of his men hissed at him, quickly taking a bold step forward and out of line, "It's for the good of the world, I strongly suggest eliminating her."

The Aydin look alike, startled out of his thoughts, quickly regained his composure and snarled at him, "I'm in command here, I decide her fate!"

He glanced at her again, quickly turning away as soon as their eyes met. He returned his blade to its sheath and turned to his men.

"Confiscate her research and take her away."

* * *

"Where's the research?"

"What?"

"Where the hell is it?!"

"It's right there on the table... Aydin," She suppressed a smirk and look at him blankly instead.

"Why you rascal—!"

He swung his arm back against the stack of paper on the long metal table in the tiny dull room with grey paint chipping off the dirty walls. The two marines stationed at either corner in front of her could only stare on as the paper fluttered in the air and floated down like snowflakes. He snatched one of the papers in the air and flipped it over, holding the written side out to her.

"What kind of joke is this?!'

"How'd you like my story about childhood friends sailing the ocean together as pirates?"

* * *

Marines kept increasing in number as Ace neared the hidden pathway leading up to the lighthouse. He has lost count of the number he had knocked out as he run and a light but hurried pace towards the structure looming in the distance. He wondered what could be so important that Whitebeard wanted it at a lighthouse on some random island in the New World, and didn't want to disappoint him. Ace wanted to make him proud by finding whatever it was and bringing it back, and he especially didn't want to disappoint after being promoted to 2nd division commander less than 2 months ago. His original intention was to search for Aurie, but perhaps he could kill two birds with one stone.

He hastened his pace and hopped over a bush that had grown at the entrance of the road, using his flames to propel himself higher. Behind the bush, three marines gaped in awe, too stunned to raise their pistols. Ace simply responded by sending a wall of fire downwards, cutting off the path and scorching several tree leaves and bushes.

Noticing the concentration of marines positioned around the lighthouse at even intervals, he finally understood why Aurie preferred pirates over marines. They were the ones after her research.

After several more clashes with the marines, Ace arrived at the entrance unscathed. As he set foot into the familiar lighthouse, he extinguished all but the flames dancing off his hand and crept as quietly as he could up the creaky stairway.

Ace had a full view of the ground floor as he climbed the spiral staircase. The light seeping in through the broken windows cast shadows across the circular floor with cracked and uneven wooden boards. The whole place looked like it could've been someone's home years ago. One huge room that served as a connected living room, kitchen and dining room was now bare except for old furniture covered by a thick layer of dust. The ground floor had a high ceiling that could easily be the ceiling of the second or third floor at most.

He wasn't even halfway up when a couple of marines sprung on him from behind the central pillar holding up the stairs and the second level. One of them open fired at him in panic, in such close distance, the bullets slid through Ace as the spots turned into fire and sealed up, showing untainted skin. The bullets continued along their course, shattering the glass windows behind and put holes in the walls.

"Shit, he's a logia devil fruit user! Call for backup!"

"There's no backup! The guys outside aren't responding!"

"Inform the base! Get the guys upstairs!"

"They are busy searching the place!"

"Send them all down, you idiot! What's the point if we can't beat this guy first?!"

Ace coughed to get their attention again and he sent a concentrated blast of flame straight for them, aimed slightly upwards so as not to burn a hole through the stairs. Coincidentally, the men from the highest floor all came rushing downwards as the fire shot out, most of them jumped off the stairs in fear, a few tumbling down as they lost their footing. Ace caught a baby Den Den Mushi as it flew out of the hands of its previous owner. The receiver was still transmitting. He kept it that way as he rounded the remaining flight of steps.

Pushing aside the same cobwebs, and ducking slightly so that none got stuck on his hat, he made his way to the highest floor, and pushed open the door casually. Three figures squatting with papers of chicken scrawls and crayon doodles in their hands, digging through drawers, shelves and boxes under the table with more doodles on the floor stared back at him in astonishment.

"Hey, it isn't nice to enter someone house uninvited."

* * *

"Hey, it isn't nice to enter someone house uninvited."

"Who is that?!" The Aydin lookalike captain shouted back into his baby Den Den Mushi, pounding his fists on the table in anger.

All he got for an answer were sounds of bangs and knocks, guns firing and panicked shouts before the line went dead.

"Hello? Hello?!"

He turned to find Aurie grinning from her seat.

"Who's that?"

"A human."

"I can end you with a slit to your throat, _human_."

She gulped as he drew his sword, bringing it to her neck again.

"Ace. He's Ace."

"Ace? Fire Fist Ace of the Whitebeard Pirates?!"

His face turned all shades imaginable as he seethed with rage. That only made the smile creep back onto her face. The marines behind her brought up their rifles warily.

She knew that he was at the lighthouse now, since he had encountered the same marines that discovered her hiding place, and could only hope that Ace would find her real research. He didn't owe her anything, they barely knew each other, but she still prayed he'd find the secrets on the hidden wall... They were her treasure, and if anyone were to find them, she hoped that it would be the only person she had met since the incident five years ago, she hoped it'll be Ace.

* * *

Ace surveyed his surroundings, the three marines lying at his feet limply, covered in bruises and bumps on their heads. The windows that stretched from one end of the semicircle room to the other were just as he remembered. The telescope sat on the curved table against the wall, shifted slightly from its original position. Aside from the mess of papers and blueprints created by the nosy marines he had knocked out, everything was just as he has remembered.

Especially that black cloth peeking out of the shadows during the night of his visit.

Ace smirked to himself as he whirled around to face the same wall. There were many different clothes of a variety of colours behind the wall, he knew because of the corners sticking out evenly, every cloth colour didn't have too much nor too little, all had the same amount of surface area exposed. The wall on the other end of the room had the exact same pieces of fabric arranged in matching colours. He knew which to pull out. The other colours weren't there previously, only the black one. There were two black cloths, but the one that could be seen in the moonlight was the one on the left wall.

He took around ten paces forward and he pulled the black fabric from behind the 'wall', a thin wooden layer over the original wall. It was a plain black cloth, there was nothing to it except for a logo on the corner in fine white thread. It was a simplified picture of a tube and a couple of stars, the words "flag designs & co." and the usual laundry instructions beside it in smaller print. Ace held it up to the windows to check for any hidden ink and found none. As much as he liked the thought of the knocked out marines being too stupid to have any brains, he realized that it wasn't that simple.

Tossing the cloth aside, he tried to pry open the second wall. There was a reason the wall needed a second layer, gut feeling and instincts told him so. Eyes searching the room for something to force apart the wall layers, his glance lingered on the homemade telescope.

Wait, the logo on the cloth... The tube looked like the viewing part of the telescope. It was divided into three sections like it, and had two screws on each section, matching the double dots on each section of the tube logo.

That night, Aurie had rushed over to the telescope and dragged it across the table until it sat in the middle of it. True enough, it was exactly in the middle of the elongated table, framed exactly in the centre of the window too. Ace had a glimmer in his eyes as he hurried over to the telescope like an excited kid discovering something new.

He didn't bother with the telescope like how someone who'd never used it before would. Lifting it carefully and settling it aside, he peered at the table and grinned. A square was carved into the wood, and detailed symbols were carved in the middle. _Code? There is more to it? _Ace groaned.

* * *

"I want every single man there immediately! Secure the research, destroy it if you can't. Nobody should get a hold of it at all cost! It mustn't fall into the wrong hands."

"Yes sir!" The marines cried and saluted the Aydin lookalike captain from the narrow doorway.

Aydin lookalike's expression faltered slightly, but he resumed his stoic nature and barked at the remaining guards in the room as well, "Follow them. I need all men on this mission."

"Are you sure, sir?"

He seemed to double over with pain, gripping his chest with trembling hands, "Get... Out."

The guards glanced at one another briefly in doubt but hurried out with the rest before he could say another word.

He continued to clutch his chest tightly, muttering incoherently. Aurie caught the words 'aurora' and 'sorry', and was quite taken aback by it.

Aydin used to call her Aurora.

Several seconds past before he spoke again as he regained his composure, straightening his uniform as he strolled back to the table and took a seat across her. Aurie frowned, unsure what to make of his sudden halting actions, it looked more than simply pain in his chest.

A sudden wide cruel smirk spread across his features, his droopy eyes giving him a sadistic look. Every word he spoken was filled with venom as he taunted her.

"Now your only friend will be outnumbered and trapped."

* * *

"I don't have time for this!"

Ace slammed his flaming fist into the marking of the table. Whatever it was, he hoped it would work. Strangely enough, the square carving sank into the wooden table, along with splinters and burning wood. He quickly withdrew his hand and batted the fire and sparks aside, looking at the mess he'd created for a hidden compartment in the table.

Instead he heard the motor of gears turning, and turned around, gaping in awe.

"Holy shit."

* * *

Author's Note: What did Ace see?! Till the next chapter, happy guessing. And perhaps, would you be so kind as to leave a review? I want to know what y'all think about my story. I hope it's still alright even though it'll be heavy on OCs. Not to worry, the next arc will be back to Whitebeard Pirate fun times where Aurie fits in with the crew and lots of random fun and maybe sweet moments with Ace and the others. Please look forward to it! Next chapter, the possible conclusion to this flashback arc, should be out by Sunday as usual.


	15. Chapter 14

Author's Note: I roleplay as my OC, Aurie Kairyn, in some pirate based roleplays on Facebook. She is always a Whitebeard Pirate no matter what. Say hi if you see me around. :D

To SavageKill: Thank you for reviewing! I hardly get reviews so I was overjoyed to see yours. I'm glad that it is still interesting, hope I'm not dragging it out too long. ^^ll Well I wanted Ace to have a verbal reaction of some sort, short and simple... and I could only think of that. *laughs sheepishly*

To Mikey: Thank you for reviewing! I've planned a way for Aurie's and Aydin's past to be revealed, however it will be in a future arc. Oh, and the marine captain was weak because he's not really a crucial character in the story, I wanted to show a bit of Aurie's skill, 'though you can see that despite that she is still rather weak. Lots of character development ahead.

Disclaimer: The usual. Nothing belongs to me, except for Aurie and Aydin.

* * *

The outer wall separated into four parallel portions which retreated into the floor and the ceiling with several turns of worn and rusty hidden gears. The grinding of the gears shook the floor slightly, nothing more than a weak vibration. Ace didn't notice it; his eyes were fixed on the wall slowly being revealed, mouth agape in awe.

The gears creaked and halted noisily, the motor probably fried from its hidden compartment in the room from years of neglect. The outer wall was pulled back more than halfway, enough for Ace to make out what was on the real wall.

A large pirate flag was pinned to the wall surrounding by notes pinned messily around it. The usual crossbones with a simplified design of a meteor shower. The fire trails at the ends of the 5 comets were painted with bright yellows and reds, drawing focus to them. The crossbones were highlighted with shades from lilac to shamrock green with a mixture of sky blue and light yellow, some of it were blended till it was hard to tell when one colour ends and another starts. The shading went out of the lines at times, long paintbrush strokes indicating that it was done on purpose. It gave the area behind the meteors a faded rainbow.

Ace leaned in to take a closer look, fingers brushing against the faded rainbow and a fire trail. It occurred to him that the faded mix of colours were like the Northern Lights he witnessed at one of the islands in the first half of the Grand Line when he was still the captain of the Spade Pirates. A thin smile spread across his freckled face at the warm memory but it vanished the next instant as his calloused fingers felt something thin and stiff like paper behind the cloth.

Carefully removing the pirate flag from the nails holding it to the wall, he brought the flag that was slightly bigger than him down onto the wooden floor. The rustling sound the fabric made as it became wrinkled on the ground revealed that the flag was like a giant pocket, holding a lot of the paper thin material inside spread out evenly. Feeling around the edges, he quickly discovered an opening on the broad side of it.

Ignoring the sounds of canon fire in the distance that drew closer every second, Ace lifted the top layer of cloth, coming face to face with paper arranged in neat rows and columns. Lines of words with detailed drawings filled the creamy white paper, yellow at the edges. Although the organized pieces of paper were old, it had very few dog ears and hardly any tears.

He skimmed through the words and drawings in a hurry, knowing that he couldn't ignore the incoming marine battleships sailing towards the cliff and the crowd of marines heading towards the lighthouse now at the doorstep. What caught his attention most of all was a rough chalk drawing that took up over half of one of the papers in the far corner, the black fabric preventing light from reaching it fully. It was a sketch of a white crescent over crossbones: the Whitebeard Pirates' mark.

* * *

"Permission to fire at the lighthouse..." The Aydin lookalike hesitated briefly, "Granted."

"What?! You can't do that! Ace is in there, you can't!"

Aurie scrambled to her feet, shoving herself off the chair, only to be pushed back into it by sharp metal piercing the air as he drove his katana into the chair backing, narrowly missing her right shoulder.

"You should be more concerned about your stupid research that you spent years on, invaluable information that the World Government are dying to get their hands on," he drew closer to her with every mouthful of hateful words, "I have no choice but to blow it to pieces because you refuse to tell me where you are hiding it!"

"I don't care about the research as long as Ace is safe! Some pirates have more morals than you heartless fake justice loving idiots."

He glared down at her as he reached behind to switch off the forgotten Den Den Mushi on the table, and she met his cold-hearted gaze with fury. Fear of her present situation was washed away in an instant, replaced by anger, her barely controllable rage increasing with every passing second. Anger at him for using Aydin's features when he wasn't him, she was strongly convinced of that.

"You are not Aydin, don't use his face like that," she muttered, words barely audible, not adding the fact that Aydin would know where they hid it together. The code carved into wooden table was done by him, the real Aydin.

His grip on his sword tightening visibly as the tip pressed against her throat again. She felt her heart beating in her ears, her body paralyzed by fear once again, but she willed herself not to back down.

He was about to reply but was interrupted by the Den Den Mushi's ring tone. Eyes never leaving her, he answered the call.

"Hello? Hello shitty marine base? Is this working?"

* * *

Several canon balls smashed through the top floor of the lighthouse, destroying it and crumbling the walls completely. Debris ranging from fine grains to huge chucks rained down on the crowd of marines and pirates crossing swords at its base. The pirates, men from both Ace's and Thatch's divisions, managed to evade the falling concrete slabs, getting battered by the smaller pieces but coming out of it mostly unharmed.

The marines seemed to relax at the sight of the partially destroyed lighthouse, letting their guard down. With a few bruises and hits from the dull edge of their swords to knock them unconscious, Thatch and the others finished off the rest of their opponents easily.

Two more cannon balls were fired at the middle section of the lighthouse. Thatch watched intently as they sailed through the air, almost in slow motion as he focused on the entrance of the lighthouse, waiting for his friend. _Ace,_ _hurry up!_

As soon as he thought that, a fiery column shattered one of the windows, shooting through it like a flaming comet with a fiery trail. As it neared the ground, the fire dissipated, revealing a freckled pirate clutching on to a folded and rolled up piece of black fabric and smaller rolls of paper, flames dancing off his skin harmlessly. The bundle of cloth and paper were all whole, no burn marks on them, displaying his skill and control over the Mera Mera no Mi.

The baby Den Den Mushi wasn't so lucky; it flailed in the air with its tiny limbs, smoke rolling off its sunset yellow and orange shell. Thatch caught it with his outstretched hands, putting out the tiny flame on its tail immediately, and accidentally displacing the receiver. He spoke into it as soon as he realized.

"Hello? Hello shitty marine base? Is this working?" Thatch held the baby Den Den Mushi to his ear in a joking manner, Ace chuckled. Shifting the rolls of paper under one arm, he reached out to take the Den Den Mushi from him.

"I'm sure it is, pass it to me, Thatch."

Thatch shrugged and left it in Ace's hands, standing back to watch his friend's actions. He took a deep breath, glancing at Thatch with a sly grin he spoke into it with confidence.

"The all important research notes are right here in the hands of the Whitebeard Pirates now—" He frowned as he was interrupted, causing Thatch to guffaw.

An irritated voice replied, "Fire Fist Ace, I know asking you to hand over Aurie Kairyn's research is pointless, but I'm going to give you one last chance. Hand everything over, and I will call off the attack. There are about half a dozen marine battleships surrounding you as we speak—"

"No can do. You're holding my friend captive, and we aren't the kind that abandons nakama," Ace smirked, Thatch nodding in agreement.

"Nakama?" A soft, surprised voice was heard over the Den Den Mushi, a familiar voice to Ace's ears. Well, future nakama. He was going to make her a member of the Whitebeard Pirates, especially after he found a sketch of their jolly roger in her notes.

"Keep quiet!" The male voice replied harshly at her, following by noises the Den Den Mushi couldn't pick up well. It sounded a lot like a struggle.

"Aurie, you're there, aren't you?"

"Ace, you're okay?" Her voice sounded strained and rushed, but conveyed her joy and relief.

"Of course I am. I'm coming over to get you now, stay right where you are."

Thatch looked at him with wide eyes, expressing his confusion, "Who is she? You should be telling her to escape..."

"She would be if she could."

"You got a point there."

"Ehh... Anyway, aside from that, your lighthouse kind of got... Destroyed."

A short pause. "But you are okay, right?"

"What?" Ace was surprised that she took the news rather calmly, "Yeah, I am. But your home..."

"It doesn't matter, I just don't want to feel guilty if anyone got hurt in there."

He was about the reply that he wouldn't get hurt over something like that but frowned hearing the Den Den Mushi being snatched away over the line.

"This means war, Whitebeard Pirates. I'll make you regret ever crossing paths with each other." The male voice spoke again.

Two voices replied as one, one belonging to the pirate with the orange cowboy hat, and the softer one belonging to the stargazer girl, "I don't do regrets."

* * *

Author's Note: This chapter is a little bit short, I apologize for that. But after many edits and some more planning, I decided to split the final part of this arc into two parts. I'm unsure of my school schedule for the last 3 weeks of school before what I'll like to call my "2 month long autumn holiday", so my updates will be irregular, but please keep checking back and reviewing!


	16. Chapter 15

Author's Note: Woo hoo, a long chapter, kinda! And I'm updating early too! I hope y'all enjoy, more stuff will be revealed in this chapter and the next. I've already written some parts of the next arc in advance too.

Disclaimer: The usual. You know what it is, and you know why this is a fanfic.

* * *

"I'm coming to get you now!" Ace yelled into the Den Den Mushi, a chorus of cheers from behind him accompanied his statement before the phone line was cut off.

"Here, take this back to Oyaji for me," Ace turned to Thatch, tossing him the rolls of cloth and paper, which he clumsily caught with both hands, "It's all I could find and grab before the lighthouse got demolished."

"Guys," All eyes were now on him, "We're going to thrash the marine base a little West from here. Who's with me?"

The crowd roared with renewed vigor enthusiastically, swords and fists raised high in the air.

"Be back at the Moby Dick in an hour!" Thatch called out to him waving.

Ace nodded in acknowledgement to him before taking off with a mixture of men from both his and Thatch's divisions.

* * *

He could not suppress it any longer. The pain in his chest was spreading to his head, and it hurts like a terrible migraine. Something was eating at his mind, threatening to overtake it and he absolutely couldn't black out now.

Aurie Kairyn, the girl in the steel chair in front of him, was staring at him with wide confused eyes. She saw him struggle, his trembling fingers wrapped around his katana, his grip weakening with each passing second. He arced forwards, unable to hold the pain back anymore. The sword clattered on the floor at his foot as he fell to his knees. She rushed forward, holding him up before he could fall onto his side.

_Damn it, what it with this boy?! His will is overbearing. What terrible timing._

His vision blurred, black spots clouding his mind. She was calling out to him, Aydin, mouthing his name. He couldn't protest, but scowled at her. The pain was excruciating and the shrill ringing in his ears was deafening. And then he felt it. The dreaded out of body experience as his presence left the crumpled heap belonging to Aydin as the part of his soul he placed in his target drifted back to its owner. He swore he would return, and he would use force to grasp Aydin's mind, explore every inch of it, never letting it free from his clutches ever again.

* * *

"Aydin?!"

She shook him, watching as his head bobbed lifelessly, his arms feeling cold to her touch. He was slouched against her, his dark brown hair, trimmed short and tugged under the cap brushed against her face. Although she was filled with shock and panic overwhelmed her senses, she couldn't cry. She couldn't even shed a tear for her childhood friend, now leaning against her unable to support himself. A thought crept into her mind, one that she pushed away as soon as she thought of it. If it was someone else, would she be able to cry?

He was Aydin, but not Aydin. Perhaps that's why she couldn't. Or was it because she knew that everyone would leave eventually? No, it was because of her guilt. She wasn't able to save him then, and she still wasn't able to now. Her fingers ran through his neat hair, caressing it. Now was the perfect chance to escape, but her legs didn't budge, they felt numb with Aydin's weight holding her down.

Suddenly, he stirred. His fingers brushed against her forearm, eliciting a startled response from her. With a muffled groan, he pushed himself up, supporting his own weight on shaky arms. But his left arm gave way, Aurie's arms surrounding him once again.

"I'm sorry," He managed through ragged gasps, feeling her stiffen, "I'm sorry, Aurie. It must have been lonely for you. I couldn't think of any other way to protect the knowledge."

"It's not as important as you, Aydin. I would always choose my friends over it," The words came out easily, relief washing over her as she subconsciously pulled him closer, however, she couldn't bring herself to call it her research any longer.

"I don't have much time, he'll be back if I don't hurry. Don't trust me with anything, he will know."

"What are you talking about?" Her voice was frantic.

Aydin leaned in closer to her to whisper into her ear. She felt his hand brushing against her silky hair, resting at the nape of her neck.

"Vice Admiral Fabian Zenko ate a devil fruit that allows him to control the minds of others, he can read their thoughts. Don't tell me anything, Aurie, because he'd be back."

His voice was sad but there was still fight in him. She found no words to reply him with.

"Run away from this island, run far and be free," he held her at arm's length, his dull green eyes locked with her azure blue ones, "Remember the notes we hid in the flag."

She nodded blankly, her mind was elsewhere. Was he asking her to leave again? Leave without him?

"What about you?"

His lips curled upwards in a sad smile, "I'll catch up to you soon, but not now."

* * *

"Ace, what are you planning?" One of the men accompanying him questioned.

The group of about two dozen pirates led by Ace ran along the rooftops with heavy footfalls. The double storey buildings along a thin stretch of road leading to the marine base were built very closely together, and of uniform height. Occasionally a newer building would disrupt the monotonous cityscape with its immense height, forcing them to go around it. However, it was a much more advantageous option compared to running on the streets infested with marines at every turn and corner patrolling the area.

"Blast a hole through the marine base, get Aurie, take down that marine captain on the Den Den Mushi, raid the place if you feel like it and we're out of here."

"Why can't we just enter through the backdoor, and sneak her out from under their noses? We don't exactly have much time. Why draw them towards us with such an explosive entrance?"

"Why?" Ace smirked at him, tilting his bright orange hat forward, leaving his eyes in shadows. His dark brown eyes glimmered dangerously, "People tend to remember the first and last thing they see or hear. We make an explosive entrance, and we'll leave just as destructively."

"For a random girl you met? Ace, are you perhaps... In love?" The pirates sniggered and snorted teasingly.

"No, she's a nakama, I'm gonna get her to join us," The fire user replied without even batting an eyelid, hearing them expressing their surprise he hid his smug grin and continued to run ahead, picking up the pace a little. His panting crewmates struggled to match his pace.

They continued weaving through the city area, keeping to the sides of tall buildings as they ran along the rooftops. His crewmates asked no more as they turned their attention to the increasing number of marines. The marine base, a fortified structure that stood proudly against the sea of shops and houses, loomed in the distance. With his crewmates flanking both sides to ward off bullets aimed at their large group, and with a few quick bursts of fire directed towards their attackers, Ace and his team made it to the marine base without a scratch.

Ace didn't stop there, with a smug grin still plastered on his freckled face, he leaped off the roof. Pulling his fist back, he condensed his fire, and let it loose.

"Hiken!" Fire shot out from his fist as he thrust his arm forward. The dangerous spiral of flame tunnelled through the stone walls, burning a wide hole deep into the compound. He surveyed his work briefly, however, amidst the burning wreckage and chaos from panicking men taken by surprise, his dark brown eyes locked onto steel gray ones.

Fabian Zenko was a wiry man of average height, a mane of wavy white hair tied back into a half ponytail, framed his sharp jaw. Judging by his outfit, he was of high rank, probably a vice admiral. His eyes stared back at Ace with scorn.

"We're going to raid the base and bring Aurie back if we find her," a young man with spiky blond hair wielding a jagged edged blade whispered to Ace.

He nodded, not breaking eye contact with the vice admiral. From the corner of his eyes, he took note of his comrades splitting up into pairs and trios, rushing into the base with battle cries.

"So you're that pirate holding onto Aurie Kairyn's research notes, Fire Fist." It was more of a statement than a question.

"I'll assume you're the voice on the Den Den Mushi."

He got a smirk in reply. Ace wasted no time, leaping off the roof using his fire like jets to propel himself into the burning hole. Hurling another blast of fire through the gap, the fiery column shot out like a lance at the vice admiral.

However, it struck a passing soldier, piercing him though his abdomen. He cried out in pain as he fell to the ground, struggling against the slowly extinguishing fiery spear. Ace narrowed his eyes. The man had dived straight into his path, intercepting the fire lance. Although it was the fallen marine that was hurt, vice admiral Fabian had his hand pressed to his abdomen, face contorted with pain. Ace frowned as he tried to make the connection between the two. What took him by surprise was that as quickly as the pain had struck him, he had straightened up, the supposed injury nonexistent, sneering at Ace once again with no trace of his previous expression remaining.

Three solders wondered in through the large opening in his office created by Ace's signature fire attack. Their footsteps were in sync, almost robotic. Positioning themselves in front of him, all three had the same evil sneer on their faces. Ace decided to test something out, he fired several shot burst of fire at their legs and followed it up with a wave of fire directed low, also targeting the same limbs. The marines evaded and shot their pistols at him uselessly, their coordination with one another were close to perfection.

He kept his attacks irregular, and the third wave of fire bullets stuck one of them in the thigh. Just as predicted, the vice admiral grabbed his leg and winced in pain as the solder fell to the ground, hands wrapped around his thigh in agony. The remaining two soldiers halted their attack and their expressions morphed into one of confusion and shock.

"Some type of Paremecia Devil Fruit, allows you to control minds or something along those lines, isn't it?" Ace questioned, eyes shaded by his hat, his lips in a thin frown.

"My ability enables me to put a fragment of my presence into another being weaker than I am. Through linked minds, I can control their bodies," he smirked, brushing dust off his jacket, "Quite a handy skill, don't you think? I can take control of every soul I know in this marine base."

He stretched out his arms, almost like he was gathering energy in the palm of his hands. Ace watched, an eyebrow raised in amusement. The seconds ticked by, nothing happened.

Fabian was getting frustrated, eyes darting back and forth like he was expecting something. Ace wasted no time in cutting off his escape route by setting up a wall of flame around the both of them.

"Stop making use of others and fight for yourself."

With that, Ace slammed his fist into the man's gut. He didn't need his Mera Mera no Mi, pure brute strength was enough to finish him off.

He glanced down at the unconscious vice admiral at his feet, a thoughtful look on his face, when one of his comrades burst into the room.

"Ace-taichou! We rounded up all their food supply and cash. Found a whole stash of Beli in a safe..." The teen's eyes fell on the knocked out marines next to Ace, "We tied up all the marines we encountered... We've yet to search the basement though, Aurie-san might be there."

So that explains why the vice admiral was unable to control anyone, all of them were bound. Ace grinned at the realization.

"Good job guys. Let's go get her quickly now, we've got less than an hour."

The teen nodded eagerly and gestured for Ace to follow him. Ace glanced at the vice admiral, checking that he is unconscious and ensuring that he will stay that way for a good amount of time. Fabian Zenko lay motionlessly, a trail of blood at the corner of his lips, eyes closed with an oddly serene expression for a cruel man like him. Ace turned and jogged after his crewmate.

He waited patiently. Their footsteps echoed on the hard floor, fading as they ran out of earshot. A finger twitched, and a sly grin spread across Fabian's sharp features carefully.

* * *

"Run now, Aurie. Listen to me, I'm staying here for grandpa. I need to work my way into the marine ranks to rescue him. I told you that years ago, and I'm getting there," Aydin spoke in a raspy voice, "Go now..."

"We can rescue Grandpa Kaede together," Desperation entered her soft voice, "I met a Whitebeard Pirate at the lighthouse, and he's just like the Whitebeard Pirates in the stories Grandpa Kaede used to tell us."

Aurie felt her heart tighten as she watched Aydin's face light up with wonder. Then his brows furrowed as conflicting thoughts entered his mind.

"Come with me, we can go together," she pleaded.

His gaze softened and he seemed to consider, "I—"

A sharp pain drove through his skull. His hands left her shoulders and he gripped his head in agony, gritting his teeth, wincing against the pain. Her grip on his arms tightened. Through his blurring vision he could make out her frantic yells, eyes wide with fear. She mouthed his name over and over, but he heard nothing. It was like sinking into a void, losing his touch with the world around him.

"I can't go with you!" He sputtered out, shoving her away with sudden violence.

All he saw was her slim body covered by dried blood and thin cuts from earlier when she was on the run slamming into the wall behind her. Her eyes went wide with shock, and he averted his gaze. He had no other choice; that was the only thing he could do to create some distance between. The vice admiral, the mastermind behind it all, was invading his mind once again.

Her back collided into the solid concrete, sliding down the cold hard wall she scrambled to her feet again, wincing at her poor attempt at ignoring the pain. Aydin lay on the ground a few feet away, motionless. In the blink of an eye, the previously lifeless body of Aydin sprung to life. In a quick motion, his slender but well toned arm reached for the abandoned katana as he drew himself up to his full height.

A sinister grin spread across his features, lips peeled apart. Light from the single ceiling lamp glinted off his teeth menacingly, his crazed eyes staring down at her.

"What was that I heard about joining the Whitebeard Pirates?"

* * *

Author's Note: "Dreams are equivalent to your soul." – Denise, my nakama. And shout out to 'Ace Hair Dude' for eating curry puffs before watching some One Piece in class. XD


	17. Chapter 16

Author's Note: A billion apologies for the late update. Real life snatched me away for a couple of days.

Disclaimer: This is a fanfic, obviously.

* * *

He stalked towards her, spinning the katana in his hand across his chest in a figure eight, his fingers dancing over the hilt of the blade effortlessly. His eyes conveyed his bloodlust, brows arching into the bridge of his nose. Everything about him screamed evil, Aydin's kind features were twisted into the monster in front of her.

"You handed the research over to the Whitebeard Pirates, and you think I'd let you leave with them?" He laughed sharply, glaring at her, "You wish!"

Aurie was frozen with terror, she could feel her heartbeat in her ears and her knees were trembling, knocking against each other. Internally screaming at her body to move, she managed to scramble to the door weakly. Reaching out with shaky fingers, she tugged at the handle, only to discover that the door was locked, her eyes shifted to the keyhole. Well of course it would be locked, her heart sank and she fell to her knees again. Her head rested against the door and she shut her eyes in defeat.

"Oy, which room is it? This one?"

Her eyes shot open, and she pressed her ear to the door.

"Try all the rooms."

"We don't really have the time for that."

"This is the only one that's locked. Y'all, I'm gonna pick the lock."

Muffled voices could be heard from beyond the metal door she leaned on.

"The door is made of metal, huh... Alright, I'll burn a hole through it."

That voice was unmistakable! Her heart filled with renewed hope; however, she was careful not to show it. The katana in the hands of her tormentor drawing closer to her forced her back to the reality of her situation. Although the hope was still lingering at the back of her mind, she was still terrified.

His barely audible voice seeped through the thickness of the door, "Aurie, if you are there, keep away from the door. I'm about to make a fiery entrance."

She could almost see him smirking under that orange hat of his. Despite the dread and terror she felt, Aurie willed herself to move away from the door, bringing her closer to Aydin.

* * *

Fabian Zenko had his back pressed against the wall. One hand on his stomach where Ace had punched him, his face was morphed into a mix of anger and pain. He had followed Ace and his group successfully without being caught. Creeping down the stairs, his booted feet lifted off the grey concrete silently. Whispers were heard from beyond the stairwell, and Fabian halted his footsteps and slid against the wall again.

From his shared vision with Aydin's body, he could make out Aurie moving away from the door and towards him, and from his main vision, a group of about a dozen men gathered around the interrogation room. The one at stood out the most was the man he had encountered in his ruined office: the teen with the bright orange cowboy hat, the leader of the group. Fabian's scowl deepened.

He watched on as Ace placed his hand on the doorknob and keyhole, fingers splayed out. A warm orange glow coursed through his arm, boiling red at his palm. The metal turned from a dull shade of grey to bright red, steam rising off of the door as the metal caved in. The freckled young man had a smug look as the metal peeled away. With a swift kick, the door swung open.

Piecing together his observations, he concluded that he had to strike her down there and then. And what better way to do it than to use her childhood friend, the very person she deeply cared for.

* * *

Everything turned chaotic the second the door gave way.

The pirates rushed in through the narrow gap of the door frame. Several of them surrounded Aurie and she quickly found her voice, trying to reassure them she was alright despite the thin cuts and gashes covering the once flawless pale skin on her arms and legs. In fact, she hasn't felt any pain from the wounds until her rescuers bombarded her with their concerned questions. Her fear and panic, fuelled by her waning adrenaline had overshadowed it.

A flare of blended red and yellow danced off the mildly reflective metal walls, now a dull grey, catching her attention. Although she was of average height for her age, she had to get on her tiptoes to see beyond the crowd of pirates.

Ace had pushed Aydin deeper into the room, cornering him behind the long table. Angry flames flickered off his shoulders, ready to flare up into an explosion of raging fire as his whim. Despite being trapped by the long table and the two walls that met at a corner behind his back, Aydin held on to his defiance, snarling at Ace. The katana in his hand positioned diagonally across his chest provided barely any protection against Ace's logia abilities.

"Ace!" She cried out, seeing his hat dip slightly as he tilted his head in response, "Don't hurt him. Don't kill Aydin! He's not Aydin, but he is... Just don't! He's not—!"

She chewed on her lower lip, unsure of how to explain the situation to him. If it didn't make any sense to her when Aydin told her, how was she suppose to convince Ace with such bizarre info?

Ace's expression darkened and his flames intensified, flickering dangerously with the need to burst forth. He glared at Aydin for a second longer, quickly stealing a wary glance at his comrades, his muscles tensed.

"I understand, "Ace merely said, locking eyes with her again. She saw confidence in his dark brown irises, and preparedness, alert for any surprise attacks. He fixed her with a sincere look, wanting her to trust him on what he's about to do, "I know."

There was a look of understanding in his eyes. She didn't know why, she barely knew him and she had problems trusting others, however, those simple words were all it took. Hesitantly, she nodded.

But Ace's attention was on the shouting crowd near her. Two of the men were grabbing at another's sword, pushing him back against the wall with a loud thud.

"Ace-taichou! Help!" One of them hollered in a panicky tone.

Another man, pale orange hair held up by a half ponytail, shouted obscenities at his comrades, swinging his double bladed sword at them like a drunkard. His random attacks proved to be dangerous as it ripped through fabric and flesh, drawing blood from shallow wounds of several men that did not manage to evade in the cramped room.

"Cut it out! Why are you turning against us?!"

"Why are you betraying us for no good reason?"

"What the hell are you doing?! Snap out of it!"

Several more of them suddenly attacked at once, dividing the entire group further. They pressed on with their attack, clearing a path to the doorway. His comrades were hesitant, unsure of what to do as they called out to their maddened comrades in a futile attempt to bring them back to their senses.

Aurie slowly moved away, her back against the wall as she escaped from the conflict, bringing herself closer to Ace and Aydin.

Ace frowned, deeply upset at his crew mates' actions. He didn't utter a word as he drew the dagger from the decorated sheath on his belt and held it pointing inwards as he passed it to her. She took it silently, and held it at chest level, blade pointing at Aydin in defence, even though her eyes were distracted by Ace, following his every movement with wide eyes. He strutted over to his crewmates and hollered at them.

"Cut it out! You guys would be in deep shit if Oyaji saw us now!"

The flames licked dangerously off his bare skin with barely controllable rage, giving her the impression that he would have burnt them to a crisp if they weren't his nakama. The whole conflict was turning into a one sided verbal war now.

And that was the perfect moment for an attack. But a flash of premonition forced her to turn her attention back onto Aydin, Ace's dagger clashing with his katana. His expression was unreadable as he performs a series of quick thrusts, almost too quick for Aurie to counter or dodge. All her senses were on high alert, her hands straining against his incessant slashes. He was slowly pushing her back, no longer being cornered against the walls. Sword fighting wasn't her speciality, and she was at a huge disadvantage.

A quick glance towards the door notified her of Ace and the few remaining others holding off another enemy in addition to his weak minded crewmates who were now slumped against the wall with a couple of bruises. Ace was fighting with only his fists, having no intention to cause serious harm to his possessed crewmates. A white coat now stained with dirt and blood splatter sat on the shoulders of a lean man with flowing white hair. He was a man with the rank of vice admiral... _Vice Admiral?! He's the one Aydin warned me of! Fabian Zenko._

In that brief moment of distraction, the swift blade broke the skin on her exposed left side and she felt the warm liquid spurting and dribbling down her slender arm, pain coursing through it. The stinging sensation weakened her grip on Ace's dagger and Aydin easily batted it aside. It flew out of her grip and clattered noisily onto the hard floor.

Everything felt like a slow motion scene playing out from her perspective. Ace turned to look at her, shoving aside a crewmate taken over by the Vice Admiral. He reached out for her, mouthing words she didn't process. His wavy hair swept through the air, damp from perspiration as he dealt Fabian an underhand strike with a closed fiery fist. It connected a mere second after Aydin's blade pierced her midsection, penetrating her left side.

The world spun. Pain drove through her with full force and her legs gave way. The shocked, guilt ridden eyes of Aydin, now freed from Fabian's clutches would be the last thing she remembered as she sank into the darkness... Or so she thought.

* * *

"Aurie? Aurie! Wake up! You can't fall asleep like that! You aren't allowed to, because... Because you can't. So please wake up..."

Firm, warm hands shook her shoulders frantically. Her eyelids fluttered open, focusing on the bright orange hat on a mane of black hair, framing his worried features. He kept calling out to her, pausing when he realized she was still with them. But he didn't smile. A whole crowd of his nakama, some looking groggy with bruises on their heads, were crowded around, staring at her with wide eyes. However, the one person she wanted to see most wasn't with them, Aydin was nowhere in sight.

A damp cloth was pressed to her torso over her blood soaked dress. Next to the pirate holding it in place was a growing pile of bloody clothes and gauze.

"She can't stop bleeding, what should I do?" He asked Ace with a frown, "It'll be really hard to get her back to the ship for proper medical care. Someone has to press both sides shut and that'll make it hard to transport her back. Aside from that, she's has lost a lot of blood. Way too much."

A low murmuring passed through the worried crowd, silenced when a weak hand waved to get their attention.

"Seal it shut for now," she whispered, gesturing towards Ace, "Your fire... I need to go after Aydin."

"No." He looked away.

"What no? Just cauterize it, stop the bleeding."

"No!" Ace shouted, "That's too painful, no way! And you're coming with us."

"Then how are you gonna get her back to the Moby Dick? I'm out of ideas!" The pirate acting as the medic of the group retorted, "I didn't bring any anaesthesia and we can't do much with my limited medical knowledge."

"Besides, we didn't think anyone here would be getting seriously injured..." Someone from the back of the crowd added.

"I'm not coming with you unless you shut the wound. I need to find Aydin!" There were tears in her eyes, not from the pain but from losing her childhood friend. She wanted to see him again and tell him everything was alright now. In a quieter voice, she pleaded, "Please, Ace..."

"It'll leave scars."

"Doesn't matter."

"I'm not letting you see Aydin in this condition. You need medical treatment, your insides are messed up and the Moby Dick has that. You got to come with us, the marines are going to resume their search for you and the research documents again."

"I won't leave without him. I know I've got no more home, the lighthouse is gone," she coughed, a trickle of blood running down her chin from the corner of her mouth, "It was his home too..."

"He left, Aurie. Think about how he feels. Believe me when I tell you this, now is not the right time."

Her words were caught in her throat. As much as it saddened her, she knew it was the truth. He had looked at her with eyes filled with guilt and horror. Fabian had broken off his contact with Aydin's mind a second too late, unable to stop the momentum of his katana from stabbing her.

* * *

"I told you once and I will tell you again. Stop making use of others to fight your battles for you! This is for all my nakama!"

His fist, pulsing with red hot fire with steam sizzling off his knuckles, slammed into Fabian's torso. Throwing him backwards and off his feet, his body bent into a curve from the impact, colliding with the wall beyond the doorway. His expression was a mix of horror and pain, and failure.

Behind him, his comrades were all stirring, shaking the dizziness from their clouded minds and questioning what had happened to them. However, Ace had no time to answer them; his eyes were fixed on his new friend, now bleeding from a terrible wound to her waist.

The nauseous stench filled the room as the blood spurt out of the stab wounds. He pulled the sword back, stained red with her blood. Ace rushed over, but paused when he had a look at Aydin's expression.

He had not meant to stab her.

Aydin stood there in a daze, his eyes unfocused, wide with shock and grief. He didn't even notice the soft footsteps of Ace's booted feet closing the distance between them. Ace reached out to tap him on the shoulder but Aydin turned in his direction, tears rolling down his cheeks, a hollow look in his milky green eyes.

"I told them where Aurie was hiding at. I told her a huge lie when I joined the marines. But I can't forgive myself for this," he stared at nothing, the corners of his lips turned up, as thought as if he was laughing at his sorry plight, "I stabbed her. The only friend she ever had stabbed her."

Ace had Aurie in his arms now, trying to stop the bleeding. He didn't meet Aydin's hollow gaze.

"What are you going to now?" He suddenly spoke up, surprising Aydin.

Aydin wiped away his tears with the sleeve of his coat, and let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding.

"I'm leaving. I can't face her again, not after what I did to her. I doubt she'd forgive me, I don't even forgive myself. I've hurt her too much, and..." His voice faltered for a second, "We have to go our separate ways."

Ace simply nodded.

"Tell her not to find me, not until I can bring myself to face her again. I know it's probably too much to ask for, especially from pirates, but please take care of her."

"I'm planning to."

* * *

"If I seal the wound with my fire," He paused, fixing her with an intense gaze, "You join the Whitebeard Pirates."

"Not without Aydin."

Ace sighed, "Aydin told me not to tell you he was leaving. As harsh as this may sound, he wants you to lead your own life. He has goals he wants to achieve, and you have your own, don't you?"

She didn't answer. Deep inside, she knew it was true.

"So is it a deal?"

Reluctantly, she nodded.

He only hesitated for a second, but Ace got to work. He crouched at her side, one arm holding her behind the shoulders, the other alight with his fire's heat.

Their eyes met again and Ace whispered words of encouragement as he informed her of what was to come. She nodded. And so it began.

Sometime during the painful procedure, she closed her eyes and drifted into unconsciousness.

Occasionally she felt her body pressed against a warmer heat source. Her head bobbed limply against wavy raven hair and the gentle bumps as she was carried piggyback style lulled her back to sleep. It was a peaceful sleep, a faint smile spread across her exhausted face partly covered by her sky blue hair, as she headed towards a new home, new friends and new adventures waiting for her to experience.

* * *

Author's Note: I think that last bit right there was sweet. So what do y'all think about this story arc so far? Please leave a review, even if it's just a short one. The next chapter will be the very last part of this story arc and also the start of the new arc! It will be what I'd like to call 'slice of life onboard a pirate ship'. Aurie will undergo quite a lot of character development, usually with help from Ace. There might be cute moments ahead. Hope to see y'all again in the next chapter!


	18. Chapter 17

Author's Note: Here's a quick update. Although this chapter is rather short, it's not exactly a filter chapter. Future chapters will vary in length, some might be short like this one and some might be longer. I'm on holiday now and I plan to focus on some of my original stories and manga so updates will be irregular.

Disclaimer: A fanfic on a fanfiction website, what does that tell you?

* * *

She blinked against the bright afternoon sunlight filtering in through the half open windows on the right wall. Reaching behind her head, she felt around for the pillow to shield her eyes from the glaring sun that hung overhead in the sky. But a sudden dull ache tore through her gut and she quickly pulled back her hand. A quick glance revealed a thick layer of bandage wrapped around her middle and going over her shoulders. Both of her arms were also covered in bandages, however, they did not restrict movement like the wider ones around her chest and waist. Her azure eyes fall upon a tray of hot cocoa and bread slices beside a warm bowl of mushroom soup. It sat on a miniature portable stove on a stool with metal legs, and a soft glow kept the tray contents warm for what seemed like hours.

Her sleepiness vanished in an instant. Her eyes took in the rest of her surroundings. It was a small simple wooden room with a carpeted floor. The wood glowed golden brown wherever the sun's rays touched with its warm illumination, giving the room a rich yet plain atmosphere. A second bed was against the left wall, the blankets and bed sheets on it folded neatly. A dresser, also made of the same wood, sat against the left wall.

_How long have I been here? _

Elbows supporting her weight, she pushed herself into a sitting position, ignoring the ache in the left side of her waist when the door ahead flung wide open, and three excited faces peeped in. She recognized the raven haired one. An orange cowboy hat rested on his back, the medallion and orange tassels hung off strings connected to the underside of his hat.

"Finally woken up, huh?" He grinned and waved.

"Ace-san," She said his name slowly, "Where am I? And... How long have I been asleep?"

"About 5 days, right, Marco?" A man with brown hair styled into a pompadour turned to another blond haired man with sleepy eyes. His words were quickly drowned out by a barrage of questions from a crowd of their nakama, and he quickly headed over to them.

"Nothing to see hear, back to your own business, people!" His voice sounded distant.

"Very suspicious, Thatch-taichou."

"What are y'all hiding from Oyaji, eh?"

"Close to 6 days now," Marco corrected as he leaned against the door frame, getting her attention again. His sleepy but alert eyes observed her for what seemed like a long while. She was about to speak up to break the uncomfortable silence, but Marco beat her to it, "You can remove the bandages on your arms now if you want to. Those were minor cuts. Doctor Rika says not to touch the ones on your body for at least 2 or 3 weeks."

"Oh, um, thanks... Marco-san," She quickly added, remembering his name.

"And welcome to the Moby Dick, home of the Whitebeard Pirates!" Ace added enthusiastically, gesturing widely with his arms.

Aurie couldn't help but smile at Ace's cheerfulness but at the back of her mind, she wondered what had happened to Aydin during the past 6 days.

"I'm going to the mess hall for lunch, Ace. Better get here quick before the food is all gone," Marco turned to leave, waving as he walked off.

"I'll be there in a while. Save some food for me!" Ace called out.

Once Marco walked out of her sight, Ace closed the wooden door behind him softly and took a seat at the edge of her bed. He reached out to stir the contents in the bowl, a distant look in his dark eyes.

"There's a letter for you," he said as he took a neatly folded piece of paper from his pocket, "I think it's from who I think it is."

She gingerly took the letter from his fingers. There was no name or return address on it, but against the light, she could make out light imprints of words where the pen pressed against the paper.

"Not going to read it?" Ace questioned nonchalantly.

"Perhaps later..."

"Alright then," Ace continued to stir the soup for a while longer.

The silence returned. He scooped some of the warm soup and held the spoon in midair, eyes darting to her bandaged arms. She looked at him, head tilted slightly.

"Um, do you need...?"

Her cheeks reddened as Ace brought the spoon closer to her. Ace didn't seem to find anything strange about feeding an injured female patient.

"It's okay," She stuttered, waving her hands in front herself, "I'm okay... Marco-san said that I can take off the bandages today."

This time Ace simply held out the spoon, his fingers over the middle of it for Aurie to take by the handle, "I'll remove the bandages for you. Save you some time from having to peel them off on your own later."

She wanted to tell him that she could do it on her own later, but the way he gazed at her, he was genuinely concerned and wanted to help her. It was too hard to turn him down.

"Thank you," She smiled, and took the spoon from him with her left hand, offering him her right arm.

Warm hands caressed her arm, searching for a break in the outer layer of bandage, a look of concentration on his freckled face. Aurie averted her gaze, trying not to be awkward as she scooped and drank her soup with her free hand. Their heads were so close to each other, a lock of his black hair brushed against her cheek as his fingers fumbled with the ends of the bandages. She stiffened and Ace looked up suddenly with a worried frown.

"It's nothing. I just... It's really nothing," Smiling quickly to reassure him, she added, "Thanks for helping me, now and back then at the marine base. I'm only still here because of you."

"Nah, it's what friends do. Friends help each other out," Ace smiled, scratching the back of his head, almost like he wasn't used to receiving thanks from others. His eyes grew serious, "But nakama are always there for each other. Why don't you be our nakama?"

"I thought I already am," She responded without skipping a beat, surprising him.

"I assumed that you would go after Aydin once you'd woken up. It's not right for us to take you away from your friend. A pirate's life is not meant for everyone and I only made that deal with you because I didn't want to burn you. My Mera Mera no Mi ability is not for hurting family and friends."

"I don't break promises, a deal is a deal."

"You look rather reluctant though. It's perfectly fine if you don't want to."

She didn't answer, her gaze was on some faraway object beyond the window, contemplating.

"You've got till sunset to figure it out for yourself. Marco, Thatch and I, as well as the entire 2nd and 4th divisions can't hide you here for much longer. Oyaji will soon become suspicious of all of us," Ace added with a light laugh.

"That sounds like a lot of people."

"Yeah, around 200 of us!" Ace exclaimed excitedly, causing Aurie to giggle, "You really should consider it though, I think you'd make a fine addition to our crew."

"I'll think about it," She smiled politely.

Finding nothing more to say, Ace went back to unravelling her bandages, and once again, she felt the warm of his strong but gentle hands on her skin. The strips fell onto the bed and Ace's gaze lingered on her pale skin, checking for scars and cuts that didn't manage to heal properly before moving on to her other arm. Aurie placed the spoon into the empty bowl and grabbed the mug of warm cocoa with her right arm; however, she hesitated at holding out her left arm to him.

"It's okay, I offered to remove them for you," Ace said simply, almost as if he read her thoughts.

He didn't wait for her to respond. Taking her left arm gently, he began to unravel the bandages. They sat there in silence for a long while, enjoying the sounds of the waves rocking their ship gently and the occasional cries of seagulls, as well as each other's company.

Occasionally, Ace would make small talk, about all kinds of random topics, telling her stories of his adventures, sometimes interrupted by his narcolepsy fits. The first time it happened, Aurie yelped as Ace fell forward onto the bed beside her. She prodded his shoulder and called out to him, the only response she received were his muffled snores. Within half an hour, he would wake up and continue chatting away like nothing had happened, and she soon got used to it. Aurie would share a bit about herself in return. Even though her stories weren't as grand and full of thrill and adventure, Ace listened keenly, genuinely interested.

It was only a little past 3 in the afternoon when Ace got up to leave, having his division commander duties to attend to. Only after he stepped out of her temporary room did he realized that he had skipped lunch.

"Thatch! Did you reserve any food for me?"

Ace skidded into the mess hall, looking back and forth for his friend. Thatch had just placed another load of dirty plates and utensils into the sink.

"I thought you weren't coming for lunch. Spent your afternoon with that girl, didn't ya?" Thatch replied with a smirk.

"Yes, no wait, no. I was persuading her to join us."

"Ho, really? That shouldn't have taken 3 hours."

"What are you trying to hint at? She can aim pretty well, and probably use swords. Marco even said that if she trained her Observational Haki, she can probably become a force to be reckoned with. Having someone like that in our crew would be awesome," Ace averted his eyes, glancing at the half eaten meat on a table nearby, "And it's nice seeing girls that can hold their own in a fight."

Thatch sighed dramatically, "I'm betting half the treasure I find in the next raid that you have feelings for her."

* * *

Author's Note: What's in the letter? Find out next week!

Special thanks to Savage Kill and Ellerocks92 for the reviews!  
Also thanks to all 21 favorites, 25 followers, and Ganner Storm for reviewing!

Your continuous support means a lot to me!


	19. Chapter 18

Author's Note: It's exactly midnight on the 3rd of September here, and I wrote this as a birthday gift to myself. There will mostly likely be another chapter out this week. What a treat. ^^ Italics are used for parts of Aydin's letter to Aurie.

Disclaimer: Nope, not mine.

* * *

_Back then I told you about joining the marines to search for Grandpa Kaede but that isn't the truth. It was a lie I had to tell. _

_They had actually come for you, for our research. But Grandpa intercepted them, somewhat unsuccessfully. Despite digging into secret reports and documents, I was still unable to learn of what happened to him. But I was given hints of his fate. He was a pirate in his younger days after all. In exchange for leaving you alone, I made a deal to serve under them as a marine. _

_It was a deal I made with them so that they would stay away from you. I wanted to tell you to run away but I couldn't. But as you know, they broke their promise..._

* * *

Aurie slipped a foot out the window, one hand gripping the window pane tightly. The drop from the window to the deck was at least 2 metres, and the railing surrounding the ship was only a couple of metres ahead. She had been afraid that they had already set sail, but was relieved to find an expanse of land just beyond. There was one place she had to visit before she left.

During the hours after Ace's visit, Aurie had the rest of the afternoon to herself and her wandering thoughts. Eventually she came to the decision of leaving the island, despite it being a reluctant one. She knew she was still far too weak. There was no way the marines would leave her alone after this and her lighthouse, her home and hiding place, was no more, reduced to a pile of ashes. She had nowhere else to hide; no one would help her for fear of facing the wrath of the marines and the World Government.

But she had to visit the cliff. She couldn't leave without seeing the place that held all her precious memories. The ground that her home was built on, the soil that she and Aydin had ran barefoot on when they were young kids while his grandfather, Grandpa Kaede as she had come to address him as, watched on in laughter, all her childhood memories were there. The lighthouse might be gone, but her home was still there. She needed to say her silent farewell.

Checking that the coast was clear, she leaped off the window. Her cream white dress, cleaned while she laid unconscious for close to a week, fluttered in the wind. Her bare feet touched the ground soundlessly as she landed gracefully on the wooden floorboards. Not wasting a second, she sprinted for the railing. With one hand as a pivot, she vaulted over the rails. One thing she failed to check was the height of the Moby Dick's deck to the boardwalk, gulping in fear as she fell towards the ground crept up at an alarming rate. It was only with her agility and skill of leaping around in acrobatic combat that she managed to land in a crouch on the boardwalks leading towards the town.

She took off, the wind in her silky hair, shimmering in the golden and red painted across the sunset sky. Clutching the letter in one hand, she ran down the streets, her bare feet kicking up small clouds of dirt.

* * *

Ace sat high up on one of the horizontal bars protruding from the mast that held the large rolled up sails. His legs dangled over the edge as he leaned back on his arms, his strong hands on the wooden pole. None of his nakama busying themselves with their everyday tasks minded him. Ace had a far off look in his eyes, gazing at the magnificent sunset with startling ease.

It was times like this that he mused about Luffy back home, his lineage to Gol D Roger, among numerous other things. Speaking about his biological father, he wondered how his newest nakama, if she decided to join them, would react to that. He couldn't help but wonder.

Why did he feel that he might have to tell her in the near future? Perhaps it was to do with the feeling that he would eventually get close to her. Ace had told Whitebeard the night before he accepted the position of second division commander, and later that week he had told Marco and Thatch, his two closest friends. Would Aurie accept him like how they had? Well, it was pointless thinking about it now. Ace sighed, leaning as far back as he could without falling over when he saw a quick flash of white to his right.

Squinting to get a better look, his eyes widened slightly with realization. Why was she running back to where he had rescued her from? He felt worry wash over him, his previously relaxed state gone.

He swung down from the mast with a hand on his hat, startling Izo who had been standing a few feet away and hurried over to the ropes hanging off of the side of the massive ship.

"Where are you heading off to, Ace?! We're setting sail at midnight tonight, you know that right?" Izo called out after him.

"Got to bring back our runaway nakama," Ace simply replied.

* * *

_I know we had decided to sail away from the island together, with a crew led by the two of us. We would search the stars and learn all there is to learn about the night sky. _

_But I think it's for the better that we part ways. I can't get over the fact that I had caused you harm, at least not right now. I've decided to set sail and form my own crew._

* * *

He found her at the edge of the cliff. Her slim figure was outlined with a tinge of golden from the setting sun half hidden beyond the horizon. The gentle sea breeze ran through her long hair. And that was the most fascinating part. Her sky blue hair shimmered with a million dazzling colours, the purples, blues and reds reflecting the evening sky. It was mesmerizing, almost like the ocean at twilight. Her gentle features, dreamy azure eyes, rose pink lips and her flawless complexion, such vibrant hair suited her so well. Everything about her was a contrast to the debris and wreckage surrounding her.

In her right hand, she held onto a wrinkled piece of paper flapping in the wind. Realizing that it was the letter Aydin had passed to him, Ace was brought out of his reverie, remembering what he initially came to the cliff for. Aurie hasn't seemed to notice his presence and he was unsure of whether to approach her.

He chose to approach her but quietly. His booted feet rustled the short blades of grass as he drew closer.

"Aurie?" He whispered, not wanting to startle her.

She blinked, pulling a loose strand of hair back behind her ears as she turned slightly to face him, "Ace? What are you doing here?"

"I wanted to know where my runaway nakama went," he replied with a slight smirk.

"Oh," That was all she said.

The silence returned once more. She looked like she had more to say but for some reason she was holding back. Ace frowned slightly at that. He had thought she would have gotten more comfortable talking to him by now, after their first meeting at the lighthouse and their most recent chat in the extra infirmary room. It's not that she wasn't talking to him, it's just that she was always holding back, and that tended to make their conversations filled with gaps of awkward silence.

Ace took a few more steps, standing side by side with her.

"Do you want to come and sit with me?" She murmured shyly.

Aurie moved closer and plopped down onto the grass, her feet hanging over the edge of the cliff. Ace did the same, and the silence resumed. He was about to disrupt the uncomfortable silence when surprisingly, she spoke up again.

"If we never made that deal back in the marine base... Would your captain still want me in his crew? Would you still want me to join?"

Aurie was staring at the folds in her dress, fingers gripping the fabric tightly. It was such a simple question, yet she was so nervous. He had to think of a way to phrase his answer right.

"I found your research notes inside a pirate flag. You've always wanted to be a pirate, haven't you?"

Her face turned an interesting shade of red.

"I-It's just a childhood dream me and Aydin had. We used to hear our grandpa's stories of his adventures out at sea. I was just a dreamer. Even if I wanted to..." her voice faltered, "I'm not a leader, I can't fight, I bet I can't even harm a fly if I wanted to, I can barely cook, and I—"

"You can navigate by following the stars and constellations, can't you?"

"Well, as far as I know, it's not been done before... But I think it's possible," She looked up at him suddenly and spoke with more confidence, "It's possible, I'm sure."

"Then you have your answer. A childhood dream is still a dream all the same," his trademark smirk returned, "And here I thought you said you didn't have nor want any regrets on the Den Den Mushi."

Her cheeks flushed with embarrassment, and Ace merely chuckled.

She could go from a real beauty to a simple girl with a childlike innocence. She looked nothing like a pirate but her heart held the dreams and aspirations of one. She didn't speak much, yet the sincerity of her words shone through, and that in itself was captivating. She was just a simple girl with big dreams yet she was silently crying out for companionship. If only he could just take away her loneliness...

The sun had set beyond the horizon and the night sky turned a dark shade of indigo and ultramarine blue. Where the city lights touched, it had a violet tinge. Ace stared at the sky a moment longer. It was a cloudless night, yet something was missing.

"Hey, Aurie, I'm going to light up the sky."

* * *

She felt her cheeks heat up every time she laid eyes on Ace. There was just something very charming and charismatic about him. The way his dark brown eyes gazed out at the ocean, they held a deep love for adventure yet they seemed to be longing for something more. When he fought, his fire blazed with such fierceness and destructive power, yet it protected the people he cared for. She was never one to care for appearances but she liked how he never wore a shirt, wearing the mark of the pirate crew of her dreams on his broad and strong back.

It was weird to say, but she felt special whenever he spoke to her. She was just an astronomer girl in an old lighthouse, just a girl in a dirty white dress. She was shy and reserved, afraid to speak up in fear that he'd leave because she was a boring person. Yet he spoke to her. The fearless loyal pirate with big dreams reached out to a nobody like her.

And now he was trying to do something with the fire dancing off his palms. An intense stare and deep concentration was written on his freckled face. The fire gathered into a sphere that glowed a bright yellow. Ace grinned widely, and she smiled in return even though she couldn't figure out what he was up to.

The sphere collapsed and the flames dissipated into thin air, causing Ace to scowl. But he persevered on and created several more glowing orbs. Some of them fell apart and turned back to normal flames.

"What are you trying to create?" Aurie asked carefully, out of curiosity.

"Adding stars to the night sky," He replied without losing focus.

She would have laughed but he was so serious about it.

"They look like fireflies to me."

Ace looked at her with an unreadable expression, the glow of his palms fading. He leaned back onto the grass.

"If they weren't fireflies, then—"

She let out a small yelp of surprise as Ace pulled her down onto the soft grass.

"_Hotarubi _(Firefly light)."

His hands glowed brightly in the dark and dozens of glowing orbs sprung to life, spreading out as they rose higher into the sky. The spheres danced and shimmered with their own light. Aurie relaxed, realizing that the firefly lights did indeed look like stars, stars that were a little too big. It was beautiful; the empty space where her home once stood didn't look sad and empty anymore.

Despite what she thought earlier about his fire, she realized that it also had a gentle side to it. Aurie turned onto her side, cerulean eyes meeting his dark brown ones. Her fingers brushed against his. He didn't pull his hand away. Instead, his warm hand rested against hers, strong calloused fingers over her small, delicate ones.

"I want to go on adventures with everyone... I want to sail the seas as a pirate!" And in a softer tone, she whispered, "I want to be nakama with you, Ace."

* * *

_Go out to sea with the pirate crew of your dreams and be free. You're a pirate child after all, and I'm sure you can do it! _

_Let's meet again when we become great pirates!_

* * *

Shortly after, Ace had decided to give her some 'Basic Pirate Training' as he liked to call it, claiming at he and his younger brother, Luffy, used to do it back home. It included a dine-and-dash after the quick dinner they had with the rest of his division members and snatching a variety of apparel off random clothes line around the shopping area because she needed new clothes yet she refused to rob from any particular stall owner.

Surprisingly, Aurie found herself enjoying it very much. Ace even commented that she was running a lot faster with every try. She wasn't going to see those townsfolk again anyway and the thrill of running like your life depended on it was really refreshing. But the best part of all was running together with her new companions.

The whole group got back a few minutes before midnight in a joyful state with laughter all around. She would sneak a few glances at Ace, watching him laugh and chat with the other men wearing the same pirate mark on them.

She didn't hear Marco's footsteps approaching, too lost in her thoughts but she did sense him come around the corner. She turned around to find him holding onto a familiar thick rolled up piece of cloth.

He held the roll of cloth out to her and she accepted it quickly, feeling the soft material in her arms.

"This is..." Aurie felt along the edge of the cloth and peered inside. It was her research notes.

"Even though Oyaji wants it, it's your stuff, and it's the owner's decision to choose whether or not to share it with others," Marco stated, his half lidded eyes focused on her.

He didn't wait for a response, walking back the way he came from with a wave, "Welcome to the Whitebeard Pirates."

* * *

_Present time. The morning after the pillow fight:_

The ocean was calm once again, and the Moby Dick cut through the currents at a steady pace. The attackers had left, utterly defeated.

As the repair work was being done the ship's exterior, as well as the damaged floor boards, a flustered young man skidded to a stop outside Whitebeard's room, panting slightly.

_She better be in here, if not, I'm going back to those rookies and destroy whatever's left of their ships. _

He caught his breath and knocked on the huge door over twice his height. A muffled 'Come In' responded and Ace pushed the door ajar, peeping in.

Aurie was fast asleep on the large couch against the right wall, a massive blanket thrown over her sleeping form. On the coffee table, the seams of a black pirate flag with the design of a meteor shower over the crossbones with faint Northern Lights in the background were open, the research notes strewn all over the table. Whitebeard sat at the edge of his armchair, looking at Ace with curious eyes.

"Oh, so she had actually been sleeping here the whole time..."

Ace wanted to facepalm and Whitebeard simply laughed loudly.

* * *

Author's Note: Would this be considered fluff? Because I loved seeing the whole fireflies scene in my head, and yeah, Ace learnt Hotarubi because of Aurie in this story. This is probably officially the start of their friendship-relationship; Aurie having a crush on Ace, and Ace having some feelings for her in return.

This chapter is the reason why this fanfic is named 'Skylit Ocean Fireflies'.

'Skylit' is referring to Aurie's hair, when the evening sky was reflected on it, 'Ocean' is about Ace and Aurie, both pirates sailing the Grand Line, and 'Fireflies' referring to Ace's Hotarubi, which he has used twice so far when around her.

We'll be back to the present time in the next chapter. Remember how Ace and Aurie kissed at the end of the pillow fight? Yup, things will start to become a little awkward the next time they see each other.

A quick review response to Savage Kill: Hey, thanks for reviewing again! I've always thought averting your eyes means that you're lying, because I have quite a few people tell me that. When I lied to my teacher once, I forgot to look her in the eyes and she figured out I was lying. Maybe because it's hardly to look someone in the eyes and lie through your teeth. XD

Please review and tell me your thoughts. Tell me if you want to see any kind of fluff, cute or romantic moments too. I'd love to hear from y'all again!

So I'm and 18 years old now, still in love with a fictional pirate. Alright.


	20. Chapter 19

Author's Note: Not going to lie, I panicked a little when I realized that what I've planned for further story arcs might not beat the whole action packed flashback arc in the past few chapters. I hope future chapters won't disappoint. I've going to try really hard to make it more awesome!

To my awesome reviewers! Thanks to SavageKill, KittyCatt1036, TartPixie and the guest reviewer for all the support with your reviews! Really appreciated as always.

TartPixie, Aurie's job onboard the ship will most likely be decided in the next few chapters. Can't say it'll be really specific though, but I hope it will be good. :D

To the guest reviewer: I will reveal more about her research soon or not so soon, but it'll definitely be explained. I'm glad you like my story.

Disclaimer: One Piece belongs to the future Pirate King.

* * *

The day passed by rather quickly. Under the scorching hot sun, Ace and Aurie, along with several other men from the 2nd division aided the shipwrights with replacing the burnt floorboards and fixing up the walls.

"Ow..." She winced, causing Ace to look up at her from across the deck with a worried expression. Smiling sheepishly, she brushed her fringe out of her eyes and waved her hands in front of her, "I'm okay! I just hammered my finger again..."

Aurie felt her cheeks redden for the millionth time today. Every time she laid her eyes on him, her heart skipped a beat, reminded of the kiss they shared. She would glance at their other crew mates, but they would either smile at her or continue with their business like nothing had happened between their division commander and her. Yet she couldn't help but feel embarrassed.

Lost in her thoughts, she did not notice Ace coming over to her side. Warm hands surrounded her smaller ones in their strong but gentle grip, startling her. Blinking, she came face to face with his dark eyes and freckled cheeks. However, his eyes were on her fingers, staring at them intently.

"They're red," He merely said.

Holding hands amidst a whole crowd of onlookers felt too uncomfortable for her. His unnatural warmth made her lose focus.

"But they're alright, really," She tried to pull her hands out of his, but he wouldn't budge.

His dark brown eyes met her cerulean blue ones and she stopped resisting.

"They are swollen," his fingers brushed against hers, "And these ones are bleeding. You don't have to help with the floorboards. I damaged them, so I'm fixing them."

"You rescued me from the falling stack of crates, so it's partly my fault."

"But I slipped on the banana peel and pulled you along with me."

They found themselves staring at each other again. Ace smirked, an eyebrow raised in amusement, almost like he was challenging her for a comeback. Aurie had her mouth slightly agape with no idea what to respond with, but he broke the tension with his laughter.

"We get your fingers bandaged up first, then why don't you help Thatch with making cold drinks for all of us?"

Ace found it interesting seeing her protest with her kind intentions, but he didn't want her to get hurt doing things she wasn't good at. He would've told the same to any other crew member.

"At least you'd still be helping."

She hesitated but nodded. They didn't move, Ace's hands were still holding onto hers. She didn't try to pull her hands out of his but she glanced at his hands over hers then at his freckled face framed by his messy bangs. Ace didn't seem to take the hint, instead he began to pull her towards the infirmary. And she let him.

Somewhere along their short walk to the infirmary, his warm fingers interlaced with her delicate slender ones. His warmth coursed through her veins, it was almost as if they were linked. That thought made her flustered again. As always, Ace never seemed to notice.

* * *

Watching Ace argue with the nurses for the band aids was hilarious and Aurie couldn't help but giggle. She sat at the edge of one of the beds in the sickbay, her bare feet hanging off the side as she rested her sore hands in her lap. Surrounded by shelves and cupboards of medicine and equipment, the room had a mild sterilized odor mixed with the lemon scented freshener on the desk in the far corner.

With a sigh, the head nurse threw the packet of band aids over her shoulder and stormed out of the room. Ace caught it in the air, juggling it from hand to hand before getting a firm grip on the small box. He quickly shouted his thanks as the remaining nurses left the room, closing the door behind them.

"Why are you trying so hard?"

Aurie looked up, startled by the sudden question, "What?"

"You're wearing a long sleeved shirt in this heat because you are hiding some new cuts on your arms, aren't you?" Ace said as he took a seat beside her, looking straight into her eyes, "Why?"

Aurie looked away, gripping tightly onto the edge of her shirt. Her fringe fell forward, shielding her eyes from Ace's stare.

"I heard from Vista and Marco," he continued, "You asked them for some training this morning. And Thatch too, he said your cooking tasted... interesting. Aside from that, what's the rush? It's been barely a day since you've joined us."

He reached out and took her hands, applying the band aids to her fingers when their eyes met. He felt her tense up, biting her lower lip. He saw fear and worry in her azure blue eyes, and was confused. What was there to fear? She was away from the island; some of the strongest pirates in the New World were her comrades. Frowning, he looked back to her fingers and wrapped another band aid around her index finger. He honestly didn't know.

"What's the matter? Please tell me," he whispered softly, not expecting her to answer so willingly but she did.

"Everyone on the ship has something to do, I don't. Nobody has said anything, and I thought... I thought I needed to take the initiative..." She looked like she was about to tear up and instinctively, Ace pulled her into his arms and embraced her. In the crook of his neck, her voice fell to a whisper, only for him to hear, "I really want to stay on this ship, but people like useful people, don't they? They have no need for those that can't do anything."

"Who ever gave you an idea like that?" Ace sat up, slightly enraged.

His skin felt warmer, almost threatening but it quickly simmered down. He did not let go of her as his intense gaze met her watery eyes.

Before she could find the words to answer, the sliding door slid against the wall and a turf of blond hair and lazy eyes peeped in, followed by brown hair styled forward and curious eyes. The blond scanned the room quickly, eyes resting on Ace and Aurie pushing each other apart at arm's length awkwardly, a light blush on both of their faces.

"Man, Ace has really grown up, huh," Thatch had a smug grin.

"No, wait. No! Yes, I'm grown up. And no, I was comforting her."

Thatch had a mischievous grin across his face, while Marco was trying to pull him away by the back of his shirt.

"Let's not disturb the couple..."

"Oi! Anyone got a camera?" Thatch called out down the corridor.

"Couple?!" Aurie squeaked, alarmed and embarrassed.

"What couple? Thatch!" Ace flung his feet over the bed and sprinted for the door.

Marco lost his hold on the fabric of Thatch's shirt as he took off running, Ace hot on his heels. He had to take a step backwards before Ace crashed into him.

His sigh was accompanied by crashing sounds from the hallways before the peaceful silence returned again. Marco leaned against the doorjamb, observing Aurie with his half lidded eyes. She made no attempt to leave, concentrating on bandaging her fingers.

Not wanting to make the situation awkward, and as soon as he'd gathered his thoughts, he spoke with an air of seriousness.

"If you really like him, tell him. Convince him that you want him around. Ace tends to push people away from him. It took us quite a while to get him to accept us as his family."

* * *

_"It's the idiot girl that got suspended."_

_"What did she do?"_

_"She stole history books from the public library."_

_"She's back?! No way... Can't she just quit school?"_

_A 9 year old girl with striking sky blue hair walked through the crowd gathered around the entrance of the classroom, her hair shielding her tear stained cheeks and eyes from her classmates._

_"Take a seat, everyone. Today's class assignment will be group work..."_

_"...Don't you have a group? Why didn't you try finding one? Can't you see you're wasting everyone's time?!"_

_Bombarded by such harsh, uncaring questions, she felt her tears overflowing despite how much she willed herself not to cry._

_"I don't have a group."_

_"Go and find one!"_

_"I did, but I don't have one."_

_She stood with the stern teacher in front of the class. All eyes were on her now, staring with coldness. The children held their history project paper away from her. History was her worst subject. Their harsh gaze made her cry harder, only for her sadness to be laughed at..._

_..."Woah, you got a perfect score for science again!"_

_"Amazing! Come join our group."_

_"We need you, Aurie."_

_She looked up at the four boys and girls gathered around her table, fingers clutching onto her science test paper, her ocean blue eyes shining with happiness._

_Perhaps people like useful people. They have no need for those that can't do anything..._

* * *

"So you held her hand?"

"You did?!"

Out on the deck under a blanket of stars, some of the division commanders gathered around half drunk bottles of sake. It wasn't something they did often as the deck was usually reserved for late night partying. The time was way past midnight and most of the crew were fast asleep. However, they couldn't be too loud as their sleeping comrades have left their room windows wide open, letting the cooling salty night air in to ventilate the stuffy rooms.

"Yeah, I guess I did..." Ace replied, scratching the back of his head.

Marco and Thatch stared at him with wide eyes.

"I know she likes me. The least I could do is to show her a bit of affection in return."

"So you like each other, that's great," Marco stated in a bored tone.

"Well I don't know if I like her that way," Ace protested.

"What's the problem then?" Nemur cut in, going straight to the point.

Ace frowned and thought for a second, "I think she's trying too hard. She tried to fix the deck even though she hurt her fingers."

"And she tried to help with mixing the syrups and cocktails despite me telling her that she didn't need to," Thatch added, "Let's just say she isn't all that good with these everyday tasks, isn't she?"

"It's almost like she's trying so hard because she's afraid we'll leave her."

* * *

Author's Note: I stated in my profile that my fanfic would be on hiatus until 1st October, however, it's not because I have writer's block. It's actually because I have too many ideas running around inside my head and I'm trying to sort them out. That's why I might not have new chapters up weekly. But I will update when I feel satisfied with what I've written. So keep a look out for updates!


	21. Chapter 20

Author's Note: I wanted to upload this last night but the website was down. Anyway, I'm back with another chapter! I hope y'all enjoy it!

Disclaimer: The One Piece is yet to be found.

* * *

"It's almost like she's trying so hard because she's afraid we'll leave her."

She heard it all. Aurie heard everything they said from her hiding place behind the cabins on the starboard side of the ship. It made her incredibly confused. Their words conveyed their sincere care and concern, yet it was clearly about her poor job at things.

But what stung the most was what Ace had said, "I don't know if I like her that way."

He was unsure, it disappointed her. It shouldn't have, they still barely knew each other after all. But it did. And that made her quite certain that she had feelings for him. It wasn't because of his muscular and fit but very distracting body, his handsome features, that cocky smirk, and arrogance supported by his skill and knowledge only attainable by first hand experiences on the seas. Well, maybe it was, partly. She definitely did not mix up gratitude for saving her with love and affection. It could have been admiration. But she knew she liked him.

Maybe she wasn't trying hard enough. Aurie decided that she had to earn his love, she wanted him to like her as much as she liked him. For Ace to notice her and to be useful to everyone, she would give everything she did her very best. With renewed motivation and newfound determination, Aurie pushed herself off the walls and headed back indoors for the night.

* * *

"Are you feeling alright? What took you so long?" Umiko, one of the girls from Vista's division, sat up halfway under her blankets, rubbing her eyes.

"I'm perfectly fine," Aurie replied the brunette, beaming from ear to ear as she shut the door behind her and crept towards her mattress.

Getting used to the darkness quickly, she managed to avoid stepping on toes and hands in the large dormitory that housed around 20 female pirates and nurses.

"Are you sure...?" Umiko questioned worriedly.

"Yup," she replied cheerily.

In the dim light, it was hard to make out Umiko's features, but she was a tall lady with short wavy chestnut brown hair that framed her cheekbones. During the day she often wore bright orange lipstick and smoked a thick cigar roll whenever she had the chance. Umiko was one of five that attacked her during the pillow fight when she had entered the mess hall the 5th division was hiding at. Aurie had met her a second time when Ace instructed Umiko to show her to the female sleeping quarters. Aurie had no hard feelings towards her, it was just a pillow fight after all.

"You're awfully happy, did something happen at the washroom?" Umiko sniggered as Aurie slid under the covers on her mattress next to hers, "With Ace?"

"What? No way. No!"

"Sssh! Keep it down... We're trying to sleep, y'know..." A sleepy voice that sounded like Haruta's trailed off from a corner.

"Sorry," she whispered in apology, glaring jokingly at Umiko who started giggling into her pillow.

"I don't know what you see in that guy. I admit he'd handsome and everything but he's a bit cold—"

"He ate the Mera Mera no Mi."

Umiko sighed, "You know what I meant. I don't know him much, but he was our newest crew member before you came. He was hesitant at mixing with us, and he kept trying to push us away rather... How shall I put it? Violently. Even after he took the 2nd division commander position, he did open up to us but I feel like he's always holding us apart. He's much closer to Marco and Thatch but with the rest of us, he's more reserved.

"You're chasing after a very guarded person. It'll be difficult, you won't get him to admit his feelings easily."

"I know," Aurie whispered, staring ahead, "But I think it'll be worth it."

* * *

The morning greeted her with a rush of cold air through the windows. She sat up lethargically, rubbing her eyes as she shivered slightly. Turning her eyes to the offending window left wide open, she stood up shakily with her blanket wrapped around her petite frame and trudged towards it, avoiding her crew mates still snoring in bed, some with the blankets thrown aside.

As soon as the windows were pulled shut, Aurie headed to the long row of wooden drawers at the sides of the room. The drawers barely reached her knees, also serving as low tables and dressers. The surface was slightly scratched, and spots of varnish were rubbed off. She had remembered which row of drawers was hers by the 2 scratch marks to the right of the handle.

Pulling open the top drawer, she reached in but stopped when she saw a bundle of clothes that she had stolen from her home island. She pulled open the second drawer, also in a similar state. It was in a jumbled mess of colours, one stocking hanging off the side, the other pair nowhere to be found. Most would freak out over the how disorganized everything was, but Aurie smiled, almost giggling.

"What's so funny there?" Umiko's sleepy voice spoke up from behind her, eyes widening as she took in the mess, "What the heck is that? It's in a terrible mess! Can't Ace handle girl's clothing with more care? I don't want to see the state of your make-up—"

"I don't own make-up. And at least Ace helped to arrange my clothes for me..."

"Arrange? That mess?"

"Well..." Aurie looked away, rocking on her heels, "My closet is usually worse than that."

Umiko had her hands on her hips, staring at her friend with a bewildered expression for a couple of seconds.

Raising her hands in defeat, an amused smile tugged at the corners of her pale lips, "You two make a perfect pair."

Aurie waved goodbye to Umiko, watching her rush off to the bathrooms down the hallway. Before the door could shut fully behind her, it was flung open again with a messy mop of raven hair peeping in.

"Aurie!" Ace shouted, grinning like an excited child. He was excited to see her?

Instead random clothes, a sandal and a spatula were flung in his direction from half-asleep girls.

"Shut up, we're trying to sleep..."

"It's only 8 in the morning..."

"Go away, Ace-taichou..."

He brought his voice down to a whisper, stepping more into the room, "We're going to do fishing today!"

Aurie noticed that he wore in his usual attire, a pair of black knee length shorts, orange belt and black boots. No shirt as always. She came to the conclusion that his Mera Mera no Mi kept him warm, envying him.

"In this cold weather? Isn't it going to snow and freeze the waters?" Without looking, she selected and pulled out some warm clothes and put them on over her shirt as they spoke.

"The ocean is too deep to freeze over," he laughed lightly, looking away as she pulled on a sweater, "It isn't that cold anyway, for most of us at least. It takes a while to get used to the crazy weather on the Grand Line.

"The whole division and Thatch's are getting ready the fishing rods and bait. You should come along, the fishes out here are far different from the ones you see back home."

Aurie nodded and jogged over to the door, an excited smile on her face mirroring Ace's grin. The two of them headed towards the open deck.

* * *

The currents sloshed against the sides of the Moby Dick lazily. Aurie leaned her weight against the railings, hands cradling her cheeks as she watched the repetitive waves prevent the wood from drying fully. Although she was dressed in a long sleeved woolen black top and scarf to keep out the cold, she still shivered slightly in the chilly afternoon air. Thankfully, the pirate ship was crossing out of the winter island's climate zone and the air was gradually heating up again.

Her eyes drifted to the thin string piercing the deep ocean, it wobbles occasionally but there weren't any tugging. A long pipe serving as a fishing rod rested against the railing near her. Thick, strong rope went around the pipe and rail, holding it tightly in place. Her current bored expression was an exact opposite of the excitement and interest she had at the start. She didn't expect to catch anything, not after watching the waves for hours, thus she simply left the pipe there.

"Who's bright idea was it to go fishing anyway?" Ace hollered from the opposite railing, "You've got to be joking if you find this entertaining."

"Fishing is a good way to pass the time," Izou replied from his position on the crow's nest.

Thatch and some of the men sniggered, their fishing poles knocking into one another's.

"We've got enough food supply to last us until the next island, you know."

Ace sighed as he grabbed his fishing pole, pulling the bait out of the water. With the bucket of worms and other fish food, he strolled over to Aurie's side of the railing and lazing flung the bait and attached fishing wire into the water again.

"Any luck on this side?" Ace asked out of boredom to strike up a conversation.

"Got nothing," a fellow division mate further down replied, accompanied by several more shaking their heads.

"Ace..." Aurie's voice trailed off.

"Hm?" Ace turned slightly, giving her his attention.

"Why do the 4th division and our division always end up doing all these odd jobs?" Aurie questioned her division commander out of curiosity, trying to keep her voice steady but failing. She had been noticing that she and the others had been asked to do all kinds of weird tasks frequently, "I don't really see anyone else from other divisions here."

"Because we are the hyperactive divisions, we can't sit still and do nothing for long," Ace replied nonchalantly with a hint of pride in his voice.

"Nah, it's just you, Ace-taichou!" That was closely followed by a chorus of laughs.

"What? You guys are trouble makers too!" Ace retorted jokingly.

"It's to keep all of you preoccupied, necessary to maintain the peace and quiet around here," Izou added, smirking at Ace.

Ace's respond was interrupted by a huge and sudden splash of seawater came crashing down onto half the deck. Everyone on Aurie's side of the railing were drenched. She didn't have time to worry about the cold water chilling her to the bones as the startled shouts from a group on her left caught her attention. Ace ran ahead of her to see the cause of the commotion.

"We caught an oversized fish but it got eaten by a sea king! And Luke fell overboard!" One of them, a young man in his mid-20s explained hurriedly to update Ace and the others on the situation.

"He's a devil fruit user!" Another added.

"I'll go," A muscular man with shaggy chestnut brown hair jumped into the water.

"I can't see him!"

"He's over there, you dumbass!"

Seawater was flung over the rails again, and the ship rocked violently, spilling crates and throwing crew members off their feet. Falling onto her side, Aurie scrambled to her feet again trying to ignore the cold from her damp clothes and the sharp pain on her right side. She vaguely saw a monstrous lavender and algae green tail covered in scales that sparkled in the afternoon sun thrashing in pain as Ace launched one of his famous attacks, Kagero (Heat Haze) at it. A glaring column of fire had shot out of his fist, a direct hit on the tail.

"Someone take down that stupid sea king in the way!" The one who screamed that jumped over the rail and swam out to the sea king and his drowning friend.

"I'm on it, but it keeps diving under!" Ace shouted back, frowning at the rippling waters as angry flames danced of his arms.

Several more men hopped into the water with axes, spears and daggers to hold off and distract the sea king, a few getting injured in the process, while a bigger group remained onboard to cheer the swimmers on and toss ropes and life buoys into the water.

"Where's Hiroki and Juro?" One of the females asked this time, concern evident on her face.

From the direction she was looking in, Aurie could tell that she was referring to the men that had jumped in to save their nakama. She raced over to the railings again, finding a gap amongst her nakama to observe.

Now Marco had joined in the fight, dazzling blue flames against the warm yellow sunlight swooping in to give the sea king a pounding. The sea king chose a bad time to emerge, a well placed uppercut on its jaw sent it riling over in pain. It thrashed its fins wildly, trying in vain to regain its balance as it threaded water.

The sea king was determined to stay afloat, revealing its gigantic spotted black, the lavender shade darkening as it merged with a slimy green and strips of yellow, irregular breaks in the colour created by shiny scales hard as armour.

"That's a freaking huge sea king! Biggest I've seen yet." Someone behind her commented.

A loud grumbling roar reverberated from its throat as it flailed about above water was cut short as Ace used his signature attack, Hiken, on its exposed underside, finishing the creature off.

Aurie watched in awe at the brilliantly timed attacks Marco and Ace displayed, showing their strong bond and teamwork. However, she didn't have time to admire for long. The defeated sea king flipped over and crashed back down on its back, creating huge tidal waves. Her nakama in the water struggled to reach for one another and Luke, the devil fruit user who had fallen overboard.

Marco dived low and hovered over the rough waves to help carry injured crew members back to the ship. Now that the sea king problem was over, a few more crew mates jumped in, volunteering to aid the injured to the life buoys. Aurie followed them, determined to do whatever she could to save the people that were like brothers and sisters to her.

In the heat of the moment, she forgot that she didn't know how to swim...

* * *

Author's Note: Cliffhangar! XD Stay tune for more... Hopefully I'll have the next chapter written by next Sunday. Please review, tell me what you think! :D

Thanks to kage kitsune 14 for reviewing the last chapter!

Review for a shout out, perhaps?


	22. Chapter 21

Author's Note: I'm really not satisfied with this chapter. It was hard for me to write for some reason but no matter how I look at it, I don't really know how to make it better. It's a bit late, but I hope y'all will still enjoy it.

Disclaimer: You know it. I'll stop typing the disclaimer in further chapter.

* * *

Struggling against the crashing waves was futile. Aurie felt the sea water weigh down on her, pulling her beneath. She kicked wildly, flailing about with her hands, trying to grip onto something, anything. There was nothing to stand on, it was like a bottomless pit and it probably was. Her limbs grew tired with every passing second and her heart was thudding against her chest with immense fright.

Apparently, she couldn't simply learn to swim like that. She had thought she'd be able to if she had a clear goal in mind. But her desire to rescue her newfound nakama just wasn't strong enough. With a final gulp of air mixed with sea water, her head sank below the waves...

"_You can't be a pirate if you don't know how to swim!"_

"_I want to be a pirate!"_

"_But you can't swim!" A 12 year old Aydin glared at her 10 years old younger self, speaking exasperatedly, "I showed you how to over a dozen times! You kick off the sand, and you do this with your legs and then this... And like that with your arms. Just don't panic!"_

"_I tried that already!" Aurie yelled back in frustration, fists clenched at her sides as she watched Aydin demonstrate in the shallow water, "It's scary when you can't feel the ground."_

_Aydin paused and flung a small wave of water with the back of his hand in her direction, causing her to squeal and shield her face. _

"_How can someone like you become a pirate anyway? You can't even swim, baka!" He shouted, spraying more water at her, "Only a coward like you will walk around without shoes because you need to feel the ground to feel safe!"_

"_I will be able to swim! I'll show you..." She kicked at the water that only rose to her thighs, Aydin countering it with a stronger kick, "Someday."_

"_Someday better get here quick," He stuck his tongue out at her, "No pirate crew will want you around, especially not the stronger crews with Devil Fruit users expecting people like you to save them."_

"_Then I really need to learn! Show me again, please, Aydin?" She chose to ignore his teasing, "I won't be afraid this time."_

"_Nope, you always say that."_

"_Perhaps Aurie-chan just needs to find a true purpose for wanting to swim." A deep voice spoke up from the shore._

_An old man with a greying beard sat leisurely in a plastic chair on the beach, a glass of lemonade in one hand. A pair of purple tinted sunglasses protected his eyes from the afternoon rays of sun. He scratched at his head, his raven with multiple shades of white and grey hair was held away in a high pony tail from his slightly wrinkled face._

"_I want to be a pirate when I get older! I want to join the pirate crew that you always tell us about, Grandpa Kaede," Aurie replied, pouting as she kicked at the water in anger._

"_Either your desire isn't strong enough or you need a better reason for learning to swim. Swimming isn't all about saving yourself in deep water."_

The memory fades, replaced by a voice calling out to her desperately, a voice that sounded very familiar... His voice was hoarse from shouting and filled with dread and worry, urging her to regain consciousness just to show him she was alright.

Her eyelids fluttered open, azure eyes looked around in a dazed state as she struggled weakly into a sitting position. The crowd around her, some soaking wet and others in dry clothes, helped her up, all the while asking concerned questions and reassuring her that she was safe and sound back on the ship.

However, her clearing vision was obstructed by a freckled face, staring at her with wide eyes. Ace looked genuinely frightened as her gripped her shoulders tightly, almost till it hurt. It unnerved her, she had never seen him like that before. He was always calm and collected, very sure of himself and prepared for anything that could possibly happen.

From the corner of her eyes, she noticed some of the others that had jumped overboard standing around wringing the water out of their damp clothes. Izo, Nemur and Haruta were with them along with some of the nurses with first aid kits. From the way they were conversing, laughing it off like it was nothing, it gave her the impression that her fellow crewmates were used to these kinds of random happenings out at sea. Then why was Ace reacting this way?

"Ace..." She mumbled weakly. Under his harsh glare, she decided to tell the truth of her inability to swim, "I..."

"Don't scare me like that!" Ace yelled, cutting her off.

He tore his gaze away from her. Shoving through the crowd gathered around her, he stormed off in anger.

* * *

Steam was rolling off his sizzling hot skin in waves. He was so darn furious yet relieved at the same time. It frustrated him.

His heavy footsteps resounded down the long corridor. Rows of doors on either side led to each of the commanders individual bedrooms. Ace marched angrily into his room and shoved open the door marked by faint traces of scorched wood around the edges. He slammed the old creaky wooden door shut behind him and leaned his weight against it.

_Damn it! What is wrong with that girl?!_ Ace pounded his fist into the wall. He yanked at his hair, messing it up further in frustration. He had to remind himself to calm down before he set fire to the ship.

_I saved her from the marine base about a week ago, and now she jumps into the ocean like that? Does she have a death wish? _His bangs covered his eyes filled with rage._ Right, no, I got to think rationally. Maybe she had a leg cramp... No, she was waving her arms about in panic. Why the heck did she have to do that, diving into the water?!_

Ace tipped his head back, staring up at the ceiling. His teeth were clenched, but his fists loosened. _I don't want to lose her. I don't want to lose her like I lost Sabo._

"_I really want to stay on this ship, but people like useful people, don't they? They have no need for those that can't do anything."_

Ace sighed, sliding down against the door onto the carpeted floor. _You really are a careless bumbling idiot, Aurie. But a selfless one. Like a certain younger brother I know. _His eyes widened slightly at the thought.

There was no use denying it, Aurie had become someone important to him. Just like how Sabo and Luffy had entered his life, his hardened heart that saw no light, all those years ago, Aurie had as well.

* * *

"Marco, I don't know what to do. Ace is... Ace is angry at me. I don't want him to stay angry, but... But... I don't know!" Aurie cried, tears welling up in her watery eyes, "I don't want Ace to hate me."

Marco sat at the table in the canteen, removing his head from resting in the palm of his hand, sitting up with better posture. His lazy eyes observed her, a frown on his face. He was as clueless as Thatch three tables away from him.

A crowd was beginning to form at the doorway and Marco had to glare at them in order to chase them all away. Leaning against a table closer to the entrance, Thatch scratched at the back of his neck awkwardly and moved over to shut the double bamboo sliding doors.

"Ace doesn't hate you," Marco began slowly, pondering on his word choices as he went on, "He was worried sick about you the whole time. From the time you felt, when Thatch fetched you out of the ocean, and as you laid there unconscious. Ace was worried the whole time. He cares about you, he'd never hate you."

"Right now, he's probably just sorting out his thoughts. Ace can be a rather complicated guy, y'know. But it's not that hard to understand once you get to know him," Thatch added with a much more cheerful tone compared to Marco's careful and serious voice.

"But he's angry..." She muttered.

"Of course, he is. He has a right to be," Thatch spoke evenly but to her ears, it sounded accusing, "You can't swim, Aurie, that's a fact. Yet you still did that."

"I just wanted to save our nakama."

"We all do. But you can't unless you know how to swim," Marco replied, stating the obvious.

Aurie looked like she was about to say something, but Thatch quickly added, "Go find Ace when he's calmed down, probably the best time would be tonight. That's plenty of time for him, and for you to work out what you want to say to him."

* * *

_Why am I always searching for her? _Ace scowled as he turned into another corridor.

The lower levels of the Moby Dick were like a multi-storey labyrinth. Even though he had been with the crew for almost half a year, searching for someone in this area was like a never ending game of hide-and-seek. Too many doors leading to too many different rooms gave her plenty of places to be at.

Ace's mind was in turmoil. He wanted check on Aurie to make sure she was alright but another part of him felt like he deserved an apology from her. She did something stupid and made her division commander worried sick, that was all there was to it. But he felt guilty for running off like that. Well, he had always had a bad temper, but he shouldn't have done that. He was too angry to think straight then. _What if Aurie really think I hate her? _

From the look of things, he was really beginning to think that she was indeed hiding from him. All the more reason for him to find her and clear up this whole mess.

* * *

"What kind of swords did you use?" Vista questioned, a hand on his chin.

"Two short blades, around 30 centimetres in length," Aurie replied, using her hands to show roughly how long her swords were, "I've used them for a really long time... Are you sure they can't be found?"

"This is all the loot we stole from the marine base, excluding the food supply, of course. We took everything of use," A man with a baseball cap spoke up, scratching the back of his head.

She frowned, disappointed that her swords were nowhere to be found.

His companion, a shorter man with a long blond ponytail, stepped forward, away from the giant grey bags overflowing with gold and beli, "Are they really important to you? Maybe you could find similar looking swords in the training rooms. Or maybe you could buy some new ones? I heard that the next island along our route is rather famous for its sword designs and makers."

"But I don't know if we're stopping there. It's an island under Oyaji's protection, so maybe you could take a side trip there? I'm sure a bunch of others would like to go along to upgrade their weapons or get new ones."

"I heard there's trouble brewing there though."

"You were eavesdropping on Marco-taichou again?"

"Of course not! I just overheard him while passing by his room. He was talking to Thatch about it, something about sending Ace and some others to check it out," The shorter man turned to Aurie, "Hey, that's your division, isn't it?"

Aurie was about to reply when Vista coughed lightly to get their attention, "She can't go unless she is capable of defending herself in dangerous territory. Besides, Marco would probably get Ace to pick the appropriate people for the job, usually the more experienced ones."

She sulked slightly. She really wanted to go on a mini adventure with Ace. Thinking about him gave her mixed feelings again.

"Anyway, about your sword training, it's better to be more versatile than to stick to one kind of blade," He added, glancing at Aurie at his side, "And you look like you have the ability to learn a whole variety. For the time being, we could train with different kinds of swords."

She was slightly disappointed that her swords were nowhere to be found, but what Vista said did make sense. It was better to know how to use different kinds of weapons.

"Vista-taichou hardly ever says that to anyone. Girl, you might really have the potential!" The pirate wearing the baseball cap grinned, giving her a thumbs up sign.

"So what do you say we train with different sword types?" Vista asked with a slight smile.

"Sure!" Aurie grinned at him. Perhaps some sword training would help her forget about the swimming disaster and Ace.

Vista and Aurie headed towards the unoccupied training rooms towards the port side of the ship. It was a rather long but silent walk, Vista wasn't much of a talkative person, only speaking when necessary. She didn't mind that though, but she still wished for some conversation to distract her from her thoughts.

At that time, it was a Devil Fruit user who had fallen overboard. She didn't know him personally, just his name, but all the same she wanted to help save him. He couldn't move in the water, he'd simply sink to the depths of the ocean. She wasn't like that, she never ate a Devil Fruit. Yet she couldn't swim. Aurie didn't want to be a burden to the crew. If a storm were to hit, there would be people that needed saving more than her. People that have eaten Devil Fruits... People like Ace.

If Ace had fallen into the ocean, she'd want to save him!

"—rie.. Aurie... Aurie?!" Vista looked at her sternly, a heavy hand on the doorknob, "You look very distracted, perhaps you'd like to take a rest today? We have all day to train tomorrow if you aren't participating in any side trips."

"Nah, it's okay. I'm just... A little bit distracted today. But I'd rather do something than laze around for the rest of the day."

Vista simply shrugged his shoulders and turns the knob, swinging the door open inwards. They were faced with a large room styled like a dojo. The golden brown walls were lined with swords, staffs and poles of all lengths and designs. A thick padded carpet covered the wooden tiles. She noticed the carpet had some burn marks and scratches, along with some white wisps of fur.

"Don't mind Stefan. He makes that corner of the room his afternoon napping place," Vista gestured to the ball of snow white fur snuggled in the corner.

She tip toed over to Stefan, stopping just a metre away from him. The dog flopped over onto his belly and scratched at his ear with a hind leg. A lazy eye opened, looking at her with a dark onyx iris.

The pirate girl smiled cautiously at him and gave a small wave. The dog turned to face her, tilting his head a little to the side curiously. That was when she noticed the moustache at the end of his snout and giggled.

"How do you like his stache? I styled it just like Oyaji's," Vista grinned, tugging at the ends of his own moustache.

She couldn't help but burst out laughing then, speaking in between a fit of giggles, "It looks cute on him."

"Handsome, not cute," He huffed and Aurie laughed, wiping away a tear.

Seeing that she didn't look so gloomy anymore, he handed her two short katanas. The hilts were of similar design, intricate carvings with jade beads embedded into the wood. The blades were far longer than the ones she had lost, but shorter than a normal katana. They felt heavy, probably the heaviest things she had ever held, and she almost hunched forward when Vista placed them in her small hands.

"Let's start with these then," Vista said as he drew his own swords with a playful yet serious smile.

* * *

"You're not trying hard at all!" Vista growled in annoyance as she lost her grip on one of her swords.

The sword spun into the wall behind her, the blade drove through at an angle, leaving a long gash of splintered wood. It was so sudden, one minute she was still holding her own in the spar, and the next Vista had twirled his blade around hers in such a way that with a sudden tug, it ripped the handle out of her grasp. She stood there, knees weak, hand still raised like there was an invisible blade still in her right hand.

He sighed, speaking as he walked over to the wall to pull out her sword, "If you don't have the will to use weapons, you can't fight alongside Ace and all your other nakama."

"It's not that. It's just so strange... Fighting you even though I don't want to fight you... Yet I do," Trying to piece together her thoughts, Aurie found her voice again.

"What if I aimed to kill? Would that make any difference?"

She shook her head surprising even herself.

Vista yanked her sword free from the wall and tossed it to her. It landed at her feet, the tip plunged into the carpet.

"How about if I were aiming to kill someone you care for?" Vista spun around, weapons drawn again. Kicking off the ground, he spun the blades in a wide arc, cutting down onto her from above, "Where you are right now, you can't protect nor save anyone! Just like how you won't be able to save Ace if he falls into the water."

His words stung but it was the truth. She couldn't swim, she couldn't fight, how was she suppose to protect anyone like that? She hated being of no use to them, her nakama. She was always afraid that they would leave her but now she was angry. She didn't care if she was useless to them now, she just wanted to be able to protect and save the ones she let into her heart, the people she cared about.

Pulling the sword out of the floor, she let the momentum carry the blade upwards, clashing with Vista's swords. She spun around, shoving his blades away as well as batting aside his left hand with the back of her foot. Pushing off from his hand and the hilt of his larger sword, she swung the katana in her left hand at his shoulder...

Only for her hand to be surrounded by Vista's larger hand as he halted her attack.

"So I have to mention Ace to get some fighting spirit out of you?" He grinned down at her, genuinely pleased, laughing lightly as he noticed her cheeks redden.

He released his hold on her arm and took up a defensive stance again, silently beckoning with his swords for her to attack. And she did.

With a slight smirk on her face, she lunged at him with both swords raised.

* * *

Later that evening, Aurie was at Marco's desk, helping him with the paperwork. Most people would laugh at the thought that pirates had paperwork to do, but for a pirate crew overseeing many of the islands in the New World, it was easier to get reports from the islands instead of continuously visiting them. Usually their allies would deal with any problems on the islands, but not always.

"About that island along our route..." She held up a document to Marco beside her, "It's Water Valley Isle, right? It says here that people have been disappearing."

Marco looked up from his stack of papers, and glanced at the sheet of paper in her hand briefly before continuing to write on his own paper, "It's probably just a kidnap case since no ships have docked nor left the island. However, the villagers there are strong. Most of them are skilful with swords and guns, and that complicates things because the enemy might be a whole lot stronger than them. I'll be sending Ace and some others to check it out."

"Can I go along?" Aurie mustered enough courage to ask, prepared to be turned down.

"No, you can't. Water Valley Isle is a partly underwater island. In the more sunken areas, the houses are built on stilts. Only people that can swim will accompany Ace."

"When will they be leaving?"

"In two days."

Ocean blue eyes full of determination met sleepy half lidded ones, "I will learn to swim by then."

* * *

Ace lay on his cosy bed, hands behind his head, the blankets kicked to one side against the wall. It was a hot night, and despite his Mera Mera no Mi, he could feel the heat. The windows were wide open, letting the moonlight from the crescent moon half hidden by the clouds spill into the room. In its dim illumination, part of the messy desk and cupboard could be seen.

Not far from his room, a huge party was going on up on the deck. There wasn't any special occasion, but it was always a good time to party. Normally Ace would join the crew even though he'd fall asleep after a few gulps of sake or a few mouthfuls of Thatch's brilliant cooking, but he figured that Aurie needed to get to know the others and make some more friends. If she was hiding from him and if he were to turn up at the party...

He decided to let her find him if she wanted to. He probably looked too scary or intimidating whenever he was fuming mad. But he wasn't even angry at her anymore.

Despite lazing around on his bed for the past hour or so, he simply couldn't go to sleep. It might have been because of his thoughts. He couldn't seem to get Aurie out of his mind sometimes. Cursing his narcolepsy again for making him fall asleep at the wrong times and not when he needed to, Ace got off the bed and stretched. Perhaps a short walk to the back of the ship would be good for passing the time.

Grabbing his hat and letting it rest on his back by the strings, he slipped his feet into his boots and headed outside. He barely took a few steps before he heard footsteps not far behind him.

"Ace," A soft voice called out.

He spun around, only to come face to face with the last person he would expect to meet.

"Aurie?"

"I'm sorry!" She shouted, eyes squinted shut and fists clenched.

Her petite body trembled slightly, almost as if it took a lot of nerve just to say those two words. She didn't see what was coming next though. A warm hand rested on her head, messing up her sky blue hair.

"Why are you even apologizing for? Never apologize for something done with good intentions," Ace spoke gently, hunching a little to bring himself down to eye level with her as he continued ruffling up her hair.

She opened her eyes slowly, blinking in wonder. Ace wore a kind smile, eyes somewhat distant yet focused on her.

"If you want to learn how to swim, I'll teach you. Because I want to take you with me on a trip to Water Valley Isle."

* * *

Author's Note: Well I'll end it here. Their relationship is around 'best friends' to 'brother and sister' at this point, and I hope y'all don't mind if I don't rush things. I like to keep it real and build up their friendship and relationship.

I'm also trying to include more of the other Whitebeard Pirates. Tell me what y'all think! :)

Will Ace and Aurie be going on an adventure? Quite a lot will be revealed in this story arc. What is Aurie's research and why does the World Government want it? Aurie wanting to be useful to the crew, what is she really capable of doing? And what of Ace and Aurie's relationship?

Special thanks to:

frostmoon13, your review really encouraged me to write. I'm glad you enjoy my story! It's reviews like yours that really make my day, thank you! :D

Kittycatt1036, yup, she did feel bad, but it's going to get better... Hopefully. XD Thanks for the review!

Please review, it means the world to me!

P.S. I wrote about Stefan the dog, because I got over my fear of dogs recently with help from one of my nakama, Amanda! :D Shout out to her!


	23. Chapter 22

Author's Note: Here's the next chapter! I'm not really confident in writing dialogue and romance so please tell me how I did.

* * *

A gentle breeze seeped in through the open port holes lining the port side of the Moby Dick, travelling down the corridor with a faint whiff of the salty night air. Her silky sky blue hair fluttered about like calm waves of the ocean in the wind. The freckled man brought his hand down to her cheeks, brushing away a lock of hair obstructing his view of her flawless young face, cheeks flushed red and stunning clear blue eyes not meeting his own. Her eyes held a strange mix of hope and sadness, and something else he could not identify.

"Why... Why do you want to take me with you?" Her words were soft, choked with unshed tears and her bangs shadowed her eyes from him, "There are far more experienced people you could choose from... Like Teach. He's been with the crew for a long time, and some of the other guys that always hang around the navigation room..."

"Because I prefer you to all of them, and I want to get to know you," Ace waited till she had eye contact with him again, "Listen, I don't care if you can't do daily chores right. I don't care. Oyaji wouldn't care either, because you're part of this family, our family.

"And we accept you no matter what differences you may have. No one is going to kick you off the ship because of something stupid like not being able to cook or clean, or fix the deck. Not even for something a hundred times worse than that," He exhaled softly, "They didn't kick me off the ship so how could they even think of doing that to you?"

Silence filled the hallway once again. The drunken laughter and partying on the deck had died down as everyone turned in for the night. The taller pirate with wavy raven locks of hair and the shorter one with cascading hair the colour of a clear afternoon sky stood facing each other. He straightened himself to his full height while studying her expression, waiting for her response rather eagerly, hoping that she would stop thinking they were going to abandon her. _Even if they would, I wouldn't let them._

What does it really take to convince her that they all want her around? He was not trying to belittle her problems but in comparison to his, they did seem rather trivial... If Whitebeard did not make him leave his ship for being the Pirate King's son, then why on Earth would he send Aurie away for something as trivial as not being of much help to the crew?

"You guys are really different from the people I used to know... It's a good thing," Aurie chuckled, breaking the tensed atmosphere with a smile, "But that won't stop me from trying to be useful to the crew."

"Just don't beat yourself up over it. Even if everyone else doesn't want you around, I do," Ace simply said with a warm smile, laughing lightly as her reddened cheeks. _She looks really cute when she blushes._ _Such a cute looking girl should smile more._ He almost blushed as that thought as he took a step towards his room. Hiding his glowing cheeks in the shadows as another step he took carried him out of the moonlight's glow, "I'll go grab a towel. I'm still going to teach you how to swim, aren't I?"

Aurie nodded, smiling radiantly, "I can't wait."

* * *

"I forgot to ask you, but... How are you going to teach me how to swim if you can't?" Aurie questioned, as they walked towards the deck.

"It's not like I had the Mera Mera no Mi all my life," Ace replied, staring ahead. Holding the towel in one arm, his other hand was free and sometimes brushed against her hand, however, neither took any initiative to hold hands, "I ate the Devil Fruit shortly after I set out to become a pirate. I've only had it for over a year, so I still do remember how to swim even though I can't right now. I was slightly over 17 when I ate it."

"You're 18? I'm 16," Aurie piped up like it was something important to be noted.

His eyes widened slightly in mild surprise. _I had thought she was the same age as me. Well a small age gap makes no difference... Makes no difference to what?_ He quickly acknowledged her statement with a nod.

The two of them walked out into the moonlit deck. It was quiet now with the occasional noise emitted from their snoring crewmates fast asleep in their own rooms. A crewmate was up in the crow's nest on night duty, and a few others positioned at random intervals around the large ship.

"I used to save Luffy whenever he did something stupid and fell into the river or ocean. He ate the Gomu Gomu no Mi way before I even met him. Thinking about it, I'm glad I could swim then."

"Luffy has a really great big brother," Aurie looked up at him in admiration.

Ace seemed to puff out his chest in pride, a smug grin on his freckled face, "Why thank you. You have a brother too, right? That guy... Aydin. He was like a brother to you, wasn't he?"

"Kind of, but not exactly. He was my only friend on the whole island when everyone else despised me. He's my best friend and he used to save me whenever I fell into the water. I bet he was the only one that would."

"Then you got to exchange cups of sake with him when you two meet again. When you exchange sake cups, you become brothers... 'Though in your case, siblings," Ace grinned, as she nodded her head excitedly.

"I'm definitely going to do that when we see each other again, that's when we've become amazing pirates!"

Ace smiled at her. Someone with a goal in mind sure is amazing. Their eyes are full of life and determination, it's inspiring in its own way. Someone like that shouldn't be hated. It's not like she had a fearsome bloodline like his and she had such a kind hearted personality. He couldn't help but ask her a question she would probably dread to answer.

"Why did you say everyone else despised you?"

"Before I met Aydin, I wasn't good at anything. I failed at school and I was clumsy and... Well, I was horrible at everything. The people of my island care greatly about status and wealth. They aren't nobles; every citizen worked their way up by excelling in various areas. They valued friendship based on your level of usefulness, and nobody wanted a failure like me." Aurie replied with some hesitation.

Ace glanced into her eyes which held deep sadness with a tinge of anger. When he didn't respond, Aurie continued on, part of her wanting someone to know of her story. She didn't know why but she felt like telling all her secrets to Ace. She felt that she could trust him wholeheartedly and she didn't want to hide anything from him. _Would he tell me all his secrets one day?_

"At night I would star gaze, wondering if there was life on other worlds far away. Whether life there was better or worse... Wondering if I would be happy on another world. I couldn't swim so I couldn't escape to the sea, but the night sky comforted me with its possibilities, thus I began to research on them. That was when Aydin found me. He was genuinely interested in my research unlike everyone else. They all said it was a waste of time, even the marines. Even though it might be useless, Aydin didn't care, he only wanted to be my friend, just like how all of you guys and Oyaji want me to be part of your family."

"But now the marines have changed their minds about your research and want it so desperately?" Ace inquired.

"I figured out that the stars and constellations are like a guide for those that know their positions in relation to the numerous islands around the world at different times around the year..." She trailed off as she heard a thud.

Whipping her head around, she saw Ace sprawled on the floor, fast asleep. _Oh, his narcolepsy. _She smiled at Ace snoring softly._ He looks so contented and peaceful... _Hooking her arms under his, she slowly pulled him across the floor to the nearest wall, leaning him against it with care. She scooped up the towel, flinging it in the wind to get rid of dirt and draped it over Ace's sleeping form.

He stirred slightly, hand grabbing the edge of her shirt, causing her to yelp in surprise. Yet he showed no sign of letting go or waking up. The weight of his hand tugged at her sweater, forcing Aurie to lower herself into the space next to him.

Sitting so close to the one she loved was something new and unfamiliar to her. She didn't know what to do. Ace kept snoring, tossing a little in her direction, letting their shoulders touch. She froze at the warmth of his shoulder against hers. _What am I suppose to do? How should I react? _

_Then again, Ace is asleep, he wouldn't mind... Would he? _She leaned against his shoulder, eyes darting to his sleeping face every passing second. _He looked even more handsome up close._ She had to resist the urge to give him a quick peck on the cheek. Tentatively, she shifted closer and leaned the side of her head against his. He felt so warm, she really liked it...

Her hand found his fingers still gripping onto her shirt loosely, and gently untangled them from the fabric, but she hesitated at letting go of his hand. Ace had taken the lead and held her hand first. _Well, it wasn't really like he wanted to hold my hand. He had wanted me to follow him to the infirmary after all, not because he wanted to hold hands for the sole purpose of holding hands. Just like the kiss, he only kissed me to protect me from some of the others that were after the prize of the game. He just didn't want some random person to ruin my first kiss._

She realized it was going to be very cowardly of her, but she held onto Ace's hand, intertwining their fingers together. _Maybe someday I'll find the courage to hold your hand when you're awake. All I hope for is that you won't pull your hand away then._

His comforting warmth coursed through her from the contact they made and the rhythmic gentle waves lapped against the side of the ship repetitively. In her relaxed state, she felt herself being lulled to sleep.

Smiling softly, she whispered to the wind, "I never wanted to give up my research to the marines, not even for a billion beli. I've always wanted it to be of great help to the pirates I admire, the Whitebeard Pirates. You've taken away all my doubts. Ace, I really love it here."

Before she knew it, Aurie had fallen asleep next to Ace.

* * *

Author's Note: I worked Ace's narcolepsy into the story, yay me. *laughs* I hoped y'all enjoyed this little romantic moment between just the two of them and there's even a little hint about Aurie's research. ;) My sincere apologies for the short chapter.

Special thanks go to my reviewers, Hollydoor and KittyCatt1036!

Once again, please review and give me your opinions on this chapter. It really makes me _superrrrr_ excited when I see reviews.


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